Capet Academy of Magic
by Artemis' hunters
Summary: Hidden inside the supernatural landmark of New Orleans is Capet Academy. A safe place for witches and wizards to learn advanced magic from all over the world. As a sign of unity Headmaster Laurent Sauvage offers a teaching position to the most unlikely person starting a domino effect that will rock the New Orleans magic community to it's core.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**Micah**

_"I put a spell on you._

_Because you're mine."_

The singer's long brown hair was partially covering his face, but as he slowly moved back and forth in a trace, one could see a small glimpse of his unnatural silver eyes. His soulful voice echoed through the Hunter's Moon, a small bar on the corner of a rowdy block in New Orleans. It was an open mic, and in traditional New Orleans style, the song choices ranged from jazz to classic rock.

Micah watch intently as Calion bobbed her head up and down lightly to the sultry voice from behind the bar. It was busy tonight, some here for the music, some here just to get a look at the sexy bartender and owner, Calion Roux. He had nothing but respect for Calion—she gave him a home and family when his own abandoned him. She took him in when she didn't have to; however, even though Micah respected her, her natural sex appeal was not lost to him.

Her fierce green eyes searched the room. It was nearly midnight, the time drunks normally got rowdy, but when Micah took a look around he noticed the unnatural calmness of the room. He cocked a brow—Calion was right to hire a siren to keep the normal humans in line. Of course, even the wills of a siren did nothing for the equally supernatural ears of werewolves.

Micah brushed his hair back and took a swig from the tequila bottle. It's a quite night. Too quiet for what's been going on in town. The council had been in meetings day in and out, and all of the faction leaders are being tight-lipped about whatever is going on. Micah's eyes flicked back to the woman behind the bar. Calion had been the pack leader for twenty years, but between the council meetings and leading the pack runs Micah was surprised Calion even managed to sleep any more. Even Marcus and his pack of blood-suckers were keeping to themselves, which made Micah even more curious, and it had been killing him to know what was going on. He knew better than to stick his nose where it didn't belong, though.

The door to the bar slammed open, and smell of whiskey and wet-dog flooded the room. A towering form moved through the doorway followed by several young wolves—Clayton, Calion's second in command, stomped in. He took a look at Micah then at Calion, discreetly his eyes flashed gold.

"Alright everyone, the bar is closed!" Calion called motioning for the patrons to leave. A chorus of groans and curses were heard throughout the room. "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. There are at least five other bars down this street, and trust me, they serve the exact same beer."

As Calion continued herding the humans out, the other pack members crowded around the bar. Everyone was eager to know exactly what their Alpha and Beta knew.

"So Clayton, care to share with the class?" Calion bite out. Micah knew that even though Clayton was Calion's second in command they weren't very fond of each other. Most of it having to do with Clayton's strong claim on the title of pack master.

Micah could see Clayton was fighting to not make a snarky comment back at Calion. His square jaw tensed and then relaxed. Micah often wondered why Clayton was allowed to be Beta. He fought Calion at every turn and gave her more shit then the young pups did. Clayton took off his trench coat and rolled his large shoulders; then Micah remembered it was because no one had the guts to challenge the pureblooded wolf for the title of second. "You and the Mayor were right. I saw him with the witches at Capet."

Murmurs and confused looks were shared throughout the room. One voice rose above the group—"who is 'he'?" They asked and the crowd's speculation grew even louder. Calion raised her hand in a signal for them to quiet down. The room went silent, and everyone turned their attention back toward the pack master.

Calion's green eyes didn't leave the bar as she stared at it like it held the mysteries of the world. She didn't even acknowledge the question as she addressed Clayton. "Are you sure?"

"Sure, as my pelt is black." Clayton answered walking around the bar and taking a bottle of whiskey for himself.

Calion said nothing as her nails played at the many scratches in the old oak bar. When she finally looked up she saw everyone's confused stares and sighed. "Well, you all have the right to know," she said, pulling her blonde braid over one shoulder. "A few months ago Headmaster Sauvage pitched an idea to the council. He thought this idea would bring the factions 'closer' together; bring us peace."

Micah, among many, groaned at this. Laurent Sauvage was the current headmaster of Capet Academy of Magic. The oldest, still-standing magic school in America. He had always been on a kick about unifying the factions of New Orleans supernatural community since he had become headmaster. Even went as far as making Calion and Marcus Vouclain professors at Capet. Micah couldn't imagine what hair-brained scheme Sauvage had in mind. Perhaps letting humans enroll in Capet? Micah laughed to himself.

"So what does this mean?" Micah asked.

Calion looks me in the eyes, "It means a new position opened up in Capet."

* * *

**Isabel**

Isabel walked as quickly as she could through the manor halls without it technically being called running. Though, her quick pace did draw stares from the regal looking coven members lining the halls of the manor. She finally stopped in front of the large black doors of Lord Vouclain's room to quickly fix her pencil skirt and adjust her blouse, so she at least look some what presentable. She knocked three times before entering. Her heels clicked against Marcus' custom marble floors as she walked down the steps and into his study. Isabel wasn't surprised to see a leggy, blonde draped over Marcus' couch with his fangs embedding in her neck. Isabel turned her nose up at the smell of AB+ and cheap perfume.

Hearing Isabel enter his head snapped up and their red eyes met. "What is it, Isabel?" He asked, now looking completely uninterested in the girl in his lap. This caused the blonde to look at her with nothing less than hatred, not that Isabel cared. The girl was little more than cattle to the vampire. She had no doubt that when the girl left the safety of Marcus' study she would get drained by one of the fledglings.

For spite Isabel said, "I believe this is a matter to be discussed alone."

"I couldn't agree more." Marcus pushed the girl from his lap and onto the floor. The girl looked shocked as she stood up and gave a slight bow. Walking to the door she made a point to lock eyes with Isabel. She flashed her fangs in response causing the girl to scurry quickly toward the door. Once the door closed behind her, the formalities dropped.

"Now, my child, why did you interrupt my dinner?" Marcus questioned as he whipped away a lone drip of blood from his mouth.

Isabel walked over to him and handed out a letter. "Forgive me sir, Headmaster Sauvage sent one of those blasted owls with this." Marcus' black curls fell over his crimson eyes as he rose from the coach.

His long, pale fingers plucked the letter from her hands. "Wizards and those owls, I'll never understand. A crow would be much more suitable." He broke the wax Capet seal and read through the letter. His eyes flashed a even bright red, and Isabel could feel the anger rolling off of him. "That damned fool! Does he really think that this is acceptable?" Marcus continued to speak to himself, "Three out of four council votes against this and he still goes through with it."

"Marcus?" Isabel asked cautiously. She was eager to know what had angered her sire but was hesitant to question him while he was in this state.

Not even willing to speak to her, Marcus simply handed her back the letter to read for herself. Her eyes went wide and mouth fell open, she couldn't believe what she was reading. "There's no way the Ministry will allow this," Isabel stated, "The man is basically a criminal in their eyes. How can he be given a position as a professor?"

* * *

Professor Demitra

"They aren't going to be happy with you," Demitra said. Her eyes were focused on her oblivious friend, carefully shuffling a deck of tarot cards in her hands. This idea of his was insane. He knew she was right, he had too. She turned her gaze to the table and spread the cards across its circular surface.

"Come now, Dimitra. It's my school. I can appoint whoever I wish. Besides it will bring the community closer together. Can you imagine how blissful it will be to not have the factions at each other's throats?" Laurant huffed. It didn't escape her that he sounded like a child who was annoyed that his parents wouldn't let him do as he pleased. She knew he meant well—he always had the schools best intentions in mind—however, that doesn't mean he ever thought anything through.

"It's not the same when the leader of one of these factions is a criminal." Demitra scolded. "The factions have no problem with one another. Ever since Capet opened its doors to all, they have kept their terms of the treaty. If anything this little stunt of yours might be the straw that breaks the camel's back." She tried to stay calm, but she could understand if the faction leaders decided to break down the doors and try to kill the headmaster.

"I have no doubt the news has reached Calion and Marcus. Have you told the mayor?" She inquired, though she wasn't too concerned. The humans were always last to hear about anything, and the fact that the supernatural community of New Orleans purposefully left them out didn't help either.

Laurent did give some kind of response, but Demitra had closed her eyes and retreated to a place of deep concentration, tuning him out. She allowed her hand to ghost over the cards, picking ones out at random and laying them down on the table. When she finished, her eyes cracked open, and she scanned her spread. The first card, The Fool, was followed by The Three of Swords, The Devil, The Magician, and Reversed Judgment. As the divination professor continued her reading, Laurent peeked over her shoulder.

"Is that The Devil?" He asked sounding quite shocked.

"Yes, obviously. If you keep breathing down my neck I won't be able to concentrate. You should be more worried about how you're going to handle Calion and Marcus than my reading. Can you imagine what the Ministry will say when they find out you hired a practicing voodoo priest? Not to mention the descendent of Marie Laveau."

"He's not practicing, Demitra. You know the Salem Acts forbids it."

She rolled her eyes. "Just because there is a law, Laurent, doesn't mean people follow it," She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know you mean well, but this? There is a reason Papa Mamba's coven was-"

Laurent let out a tired huff. "I don't want to argue about this anymore. The children will be arriving in two weeks. We have other things to concern ourselves with." He sank into his large leather chair, pouting.

Then the door to his study flew open and in walked the last two people either of them had wanted to deal with tonight.

Calion, her eyes flashing an animalistic gold, pushed through first followed by Marcus with his little progeny right behind him. Rage flowed off the two of them in waves, and Demitra caught a glanced of Laurent's petrified face from her seat.

"I told you they wouldn't like it."

* * *

Alright, let's get this party started. I wanted to introduce all the factions that are going to take up a large part of this story. None of the POV characters here will be main, but are simply here to fill this chapter and help you guys get a feel for things. This story will contain darker undertones, so be prepared. I have added in some aspects from the Originals, Penny Dreadful, Witches of East End and other things that may be revealed later. I know it seems like a gave away a lot, but trust me this is just a little footnote in the grand scheme of things. So just read the rules and background and send me your ocs! Can't wait to work with you guys. Also make sure to leave a review on what you guys thought of this chapter.

* * *

**RULES:**

-ONLY submit through PM. In the title of your Pm put "Capet Academy: Character Name" of course your character's name will go there.

-You are limited to one entry for a main or minor roll, but I will always need extras so if you have other oc ideas message me.

-Here is a common one, no mary-sue. You can't be perfect, not possible.

-Not every character has to have specific family problems. This means you don't have to give your character a sad backstory for me to consider them. I'm not saying you can't do that, just saying it won't help or hurt your chances.

-Be creative, have fun with it. I will take a certain number of people that can join the Vampire or Werewolf faction. I will take two characters for the Vampire faction (a boy and girl preferable) and three Werewolves. The Voodoo faction isn't open to OCs due to plot I only need one and I already have her.

-Feel free to makeup your own family legacy for your character. Have fun with it, but make it somewhat believable.

-If you read this put "Vox Vocis" at the top of your PM

-Give me a wide range of personalities. The sweet one, the hot head, the sneak, the sexy one, the backstabber, the brave one, if you can think of it I will want it. I need a range to suit the plot.

-I believe i will have 10 characters I will focus on. 5 Main, 5 minor. Saying this I would either like to have the guys outnumber the girls or have it even.

-Be descriptive, It helps a lot.

-Wand Type is in the forum however Capet does use a lot of wandless magic.

-Here's the important one. There will be a wait list of sorts. If your character is chosen you must review all chapters, as then I will include your character more. If absence is consistent and you don't talk to me about it I will pick from the waitlist to replace the character.

* * *

**Background**: Alright now for a little background on the story.

-Capet Academy was founded in 1730 when a migration of French wizards made their way to the French territory of New Orleans. It's founder was Jean-Claude Capet.

-Capet was built on French magic and purest views. For 250 years, Capet wasn't even open to half-bloods, none the less muggleborns. The American Ministry got tired to being the black sheep considering their European counterparts had opened their doors to the half-bloods and muggleborns, so Capet did the same.

-America being the melting pot it is, Capet is no different. The teachings of Capet aren't as singular as those at Hogwarts. Capet teaches a mixture of magic found around the world: Norse, Egyptian, Celtic, modern European, Greek, Native American, African, Chinese, and Pagan techniques. This list once included Voodoo as well until the Salem Acts of 1881 were Voodoo was outlawed on the death date of Marie Laveau. Because of the range of Capet's teachings it's reasonable to say that they teach more advanced techniques compared to their European counterparts.

-New Orleans has always been home to several factions. The werewolves that derived from the native skinchangers that inhabited Louisiana before the age of exploration. The vampires who made themselves at home in the large port of New Orleans in the early 1700s, seeing the port as a perfect feeding ground. The French wizards that migrated there.

-As of modern New Orleans a peace is kept in the factions by means of the Council. Each faction leader sits on the council and the four members must come to a unified or 3/4 agreement before any major changes are made in New Orleans. On the council sits the current werewolf packmaster- Calion Roux, elder vampire- Marcus Vouclain, the Mayor of New Orleans- Gabriel Delamare, and current headmaster of Capet- Laurent Sauvage.

-New Orleans is a city set in it's supernatural roots so the students are free to wonder New Orleans as they please without causing any issues. Though everything is still kept tight lipped. There is something similar to Diagon Alley in the French Quarter, but of course isn't accessible to muggles.

-The school has four houses: Animus, Sapientia, Gaudium, Validus. All latin terms that Jean-Claude used to describe his four children.  
-Animus - courage, will, spirit. Used to describe Jean-Claude's oldest son, Dominic. Their colors are grey and orange.  
-Sapientia - Wise and sure. Colors are silver and purple.  
-Gaudium - Happy and optimistic, untainted, strength. Colors are bronze and red.  
-Validus - powerful, exceeding, ambiguous. Colors are gold and black.

-Capet was largely unaffected by Voldemort. They knew what was going on, but the American Ministry chose to stay out of it like many countries. The American Ministry considers itself completely separate from the European Ministries, thus Capet also has limited contact with Hogwarts. The American Ministry is located in Salem, Massachusetts.

**Forum: **(Also at the bottom of my profile)

Name:

Age (16-18):

Year:

Gender:

House:

Blood Status:

Place of birth:

Nationality:

Appearance (detailed please):

Personality (detailed):

Best and worst personality trait:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Background:

Family:

Hobbies:

Goals:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Boggart:

Wand Type (length, core, wood):

Specific Talents:

What are their thoughts on Voodoo:

What are their thoughts on the factions (Werewolves, Vampires, the Headmaster):

Would they join the vampire or the werewolf factions:

What is their clothing style:

What kind of student are they (Studious, lazy, etc):

School perfect:

What types of people would they like or dislike:

Sexuality:

Love Interest (yes or no):

If yes, do they have a type:

Ideas for your character or the story (optional, but appreciated):

Anything Else:

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to spam my inbox and I will try to message you back ASAP. Submissions will end on the 30th, but there will hopefully be updates before then depending on the types of ocs I get.


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally I can update. Sorry guys I was on a vacation of sorts and trying to get a connection was annoying. Please forgive any awkwardness of this chapter. I'm thinking of switching to third-person as I can have more detail and it's less awkward for me to write. The POV characters here are not the cast. I've decided to not choose my main cast until submissions end on the 30th.**

* * *

Lindsay POV

"Hmm, white or black?" I asked myself. For some reason I just couldn't decide. I looked out my window and admired the clear Chicago sky, sparkling buildings and the Chicago River below me. From the spot on my bed I had a perfect view of the Chicago skyline. I had exactly twenty minutes till the car arrived to take me to New Orleans and I was barely packed. Suddenly a black dress with yellow floral designs few out of my closet, "Not that one." with a flick of my wrist the dress flew into the 'No' pile. Luckily my apartment was high enough that I didn't have to worry about any muggles in other buildings seeing my closet float around my room.

My closet was magically expanded so you can imagine with everything being pulled out and put into piles that they nearly reached the ceiling. Right now I had two pairs of shoes floating in front of me. White flats or black boots? They both went perfect with my outfit, but I just couldn't decide. I need a second opinion. I walked over to my floor length mirror and tapped the glass. The mirror fogged up, but didn't clear. "Come on, Riley." I muttered. There was no doubt my best friend was still asleep. She had the luxury of not having to wake up early since her Aunt lived just ten miles from Capet. I continued to tap the glass waiting for her to answer.

Finally there was a responsive tap and the glass began to clear up. I was no longer staring at my own grey eyes, but a pair of ocean blue eyes. It was obvious by the bags under her eyes that I had just woken up Riley Kramer. A feet many at Capet would consider a death sentence. "Lindsay, dear sweet Lindsay. Is there a reason you have chosen to grace me with your magic Skype session at nine in the morning." Riley gave a cheeky smile, yet it clashed with the glare she was currently giving me. Even while tired Riley had natural beauty on her side. Her milky skin and currently strawberry blonde braid was a contrast to my tan skin and long blonde waves. I could see a little peak of Riley's natural dark roots peaking through the blonde dye. Riley was like me, but different all at once. Riley was the more social of the two of us. Sharp tongued and all around smartass, I would like to say we balanced each other out well. Riley had this charisma that drew people to her even if they didn't want to be. She was probably the only person I actually trusted outside my brothers and Millie

"You can go back to sleep soon. I need your opinion on these." I waved my hand, lifting the shoes out in front of the mirror.

Riley moaned in annoyance as she saw the shoes. She moved her body in the mirror looking around me at my tornado of a room. "You're just now packing?"

I nodded slowly. It was a bad idea to wait so long for packing, but "I had other things on my mind." I offered awkwardly. A tone that no one besides Riley would ever get to hear.

"Like what?" Riley challenged as she turned and moved around her own room. I watched as she pulled a pair of leather shorts out of a drawer. I turned and gave her privacy. Sometimes magic Skype can be cool. Sometimes it makes me feel like a stalker. "You can turn around." She said after a moment. When I turned she was already dress her favor black leather shorts and a sequined creme top that looked straight out of the twenties. A mixed style i've only ever seen Riley pull off and I live in one of the most fashion forward cities in America. She ruffled her hair with a bit of magic on her fingertips she was able to quickly rid her hair of morning frizz.

"Well, for starters, I was at the Puddlemore game last night." I said as if it was a valid answer. "Just help me pick a pair of shoes. It's our first day back and I need to look good." I gestured once again to the floating shoes.

Riley looked over the shoes. Motioning for me to turn them for a 360 view. "The flats. You don't want to wear the boots with the shirt. You'll look like a hooker." Riley smiled. I glared back and looked down at my Puddlemore United crop jersey and nodded, good call. I through the boots into a bag and zipped it up. Thank you magic, finally my bags were packed. I flicked my hand sending everything from the 'no' pile back to my closet. I sat down on my bed slipping on the flats. "I've got to ask. What have you heard about our newest professor?" Riley asked me as she look around for her own shoes.

I shrugged. To be honest I hadn't heard much. The ministry has been keeping things at Capet pretty under wraps. Though I did hear from Natalie Lewis, whose parents like mine are Ministry workers, that the Headmaster is the talk of the Ministry as of late. "Lewis says that the Ministry really isn't sure if they are going to step in or not. They're waiting out the storm it seems."

"Well, the Salem Post sure wants them to step in." She walked around her four-poster bed and snached a paper off her cherry wood desk. She read from the print, "Has Sauvage finally lost it? Some demand his resignation" When she finished she balled it up and conjured a flame in her hand burning the paper. I looked on in admiration. Riley has always had a flare for elemental magic, just like with me and greek magic. It was well known that Riley had authority issues. Nothing as bad as when she was younger, but she simply isn't a fan of authority figures. If there was any authority figure Riley actually did respect it was the Headmaster. "It's getting ridiculous. I find it kinda cool. Think of awesome it would be to properly make a voodoo doll." I chuckled at her enthusiasm. I had to agree there were a few people I wouldn't mind making dolls for. "Who better to learn from than Papa Mamba himself. Hell, maybe you can even make one of Dante."

My nose scrunched in distaste at the sound of my ex's name. Everyone at Capet knew Dante and I didn't end on good terms and they also knew who to blame for it. Come to think of it I might have use for two voodoo dolls. "As tempting as that is, we both know I'm to pretty for Alcatraz." Alcatraz was the last working high security magical prison in America. It would seem appropriate for me to end up there in a sense. Alcatraz had once been a muggle prison before it was converted to house my great grandfather and pureblood wizard, Al Capone.

"That's the later result. Look at the now. Wouldn't it be fun to knock the big bad monster hunter on his ass?" She suggested with a arched brow.

I couldn't help imagine the scenario. Is was simply to tempting for it's own good. "You're a bad influence." I accused with a smile.

"I'm just trying to help. Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions." She started walking across the hardwood floors to stand in front of me. She stared at me as if expecting something. When she saw my confused look she huffed. "You're currently taking up my mirror. I need you to tell me how I look."

I nodded looking her over. Her modern 20's style shined through in New Orleans fashion. "You need to dye your roots again. I don't think I've ever seen caramel on you." I commented. "And you forgot your headband. Other than that you're good." It was odd to see Riley without a headband. Once again it was another statement piece to her 20's style.

"Good? That's all I get?" Riley whined slightly. "I see how it is. I'll put caramel in the suggestion box."

I was about to reply when I heard a pop in the room. I turned to see Millie standing at my door smiling at me. "Miss Lindsay, the car has arrived."

I smiled and nodded, "Thanks Millie. Could you send my bags down." Millie nodded, snapping her fingers she and the bag both popped out of the room. "Well, it's time to go. I will see you in a few hours." I told Riley before tapping the glass officially ending our magic Skype. Turning on my heels I made my way out of my room and down the long hallway. As much as I love my penthouse, I couldn't wait to get back to New Orleans. When I entered the elevator I said my goodbyes to Millie and pulled out my phone and called my brothers.

The doorman met me at the elevator, "Ms. Crowe your car is here to take you to the Academy. I hope you have a good time at school" James said. James was a weathered man that worked here even back when my parent's actually visited. Despite seeing me everyday he always made a point to smile and ask me how I was.

"Thank you, Mr. James." I said politely. I made my way through the crowd of guests looking to check in and residents. You could always tell a guest from someone that lived here. Guests would stand around looking at the building in wonder at it's craftsmanship. Others walked over the gold colored floors and under the large crystal chandeliers without a single thought. In the distance I heard a guest complain about the price. _What else would you expect at Trump Tower?_ I thought. Once I was outside I saw a single sleek, black Cadillac waiting with the valet. The 'driver' got out and opened the door for me. I stepped in and sat down making sure to buckle up. Soon the car took off out of the driveway and sped down the street weaving out of other cars. I giggled as I watched Chicago speed by, of course muggles wouldn't be able to see this as Capet's Cadillacs were powered by the same magic as London's famous Night Bus. "It's time to go home."

Faye POV

I hissed in pain as the blade cut into my hand. Laying the blade down I held my hand over the wooden bowl letting my blood drip over its contents. I didn't bother bandaging the wound it would only need to be reopened later. I flipped the pages of the worn old leather book at my feet and squinted in an attempt to read the messy handwriting. Sadly this grimoire was handwritten, no easy printed text or how-to for people that didn't speak perfect latin.

My hands rested in the space over the bowl as I strung together memorized incantations. I tried to remember what Professor von Rothman said about not breaking the energy between myself and limbo. To imagine myself outside of my own body. I could feel the spell start to work. I tested the waters and stood up. I moved out of the center of the salt circle in the middle of my bedroom floor. Looking down I saw myself still in deep thought on the floor. Like von Rothman said it takes years to perfect astral projection. I was still at the stage where I needed a bowl of my belongings to keep me anchored to the realm of the living. Professor von Rothman on the other hand often showed off her arcane skill as she would walk around class during tests in her astral form to keep kids from cheating.

She made it look so effortless. I took a careful step toward the door, taking this one at a time. As I got closer to the door I looked back and saw my physical body wince in pain. Maybe just a little further, I convinced myself as I reached for the doorknob. As my hand touched the door I was snapped back into my body like a over stretched rubber band. "Damnit." I moaned rubbing my now aching head. A knock at my door caught my attention. "Come in."

My sister pushed open the door and took in the scene. She shook her head. "I wanted to know if you wanted to head down to Stanley for breakfast, but I guess you're busy." She said her thick Cajun accent soothing my aching head. Walking over my salt circle and picked up the old grimoire. "Where did you get this?"

I stood up and with a flick of my wrist put out the candles scattering the room. "Professor von Rothman lent it to me." I pushed the curtains open allowing light to come back into my bedroom brightening against the royal purple walls and vintage furniture.

"Say no more. The woman loves when she gets a student with the 'gift'. I still remember when she had me kicked out of Arcane Arts my seventh year. Apparently my third eye was 'too weak'." Cerise said trying to mock von Rothman's Greek accent. She sniffed the air and looked down at my hand. "Let me see." She took my hand into hers and looked over the cut. Placing my hand between both of hers, "Curatio" she said causing my hand to glow gold. When she released my hand I looked to find it completely healed.

"I've been trying for a year now and I still can't leave the room my body is in." I huffed. This was getting ridiculous. Even with all of von Rothman's private lessons I still couldn't get it right.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up. I couldn't even leave my body. Mom would be ashamed at it. Astral projection takes a while and you have to be careful. Apparently some kid from the Salem Institute couldn't find his way back to his body and got lost in limbo last year." Cerise moved around me to fix my side braid. "Speaking of being careful, I want you to stay close to Professor von Rothman this year." Cerise said grimly.

"Is this about the voodoo priest?"

Cerise's gold eyes stared me down. "I don't want you near him. I've met Papa Mamba a few times, but you and I know better than most how tricky voodoo and its followers can be. Calion doesn't like this and I'm with her. You have to keep your distance." She said in her commanding 'I'm older than you' voice. I didn't have much room to argue with Cerise. After all she raised me. With our mom always out on ministry business or in contact with the Vatican, and dad hell knows where Cerise has functioned as both parents since she was seven. Cerise even joined the werewolves in order to give us a proper family.

"Of course you agree with Calion she's packmaster. You don't really have much of a choice." Cerise gave me a hard look. I didn't have a problem with Calion or the pack. They accepted Cerise and agreed that with her came me. Calion took us under her wing and has stuck up for us. I simply hated that Cerise had to give up so much for me. She would normally try to convince me that she made the choice on her own, but I knew it was for my benefit. I looked down at my newly healed hand and sighed. Cerise had a talent for healing magic and had wanted to be a healer. Though America was more tolerant than other countries about werewolves she and I both knew there was no hospital that would hire her. It has been two years since Cerise became a werewolf and it was still fresh in my mind how much she had limited herself for me. "I'm just saying. You don't have to worry about me." I looked up at her. Even though Cerise was three years older than me it was easy to mistake us for twins. We have the same dark, glossy waves and equally dark eyes. Even the structure of our faces were similar. However, my eyes were permanently brown; Cerise's eyes would often flash gold. Our mother would often remind us sadly that we took after our father. Not that she would go any further than saying that and if Cerise knew anything else she wasn't into sharing.

"Come on. Let's have some fun before the Academy opens up tonight."

Dante POV

I was pushed back as my opponents foot connected with my chest. "A lucky shot", I muttered. Getting down and attempting to sweep his feet out from under him. He managed to jump out of the way using his momentum to try for another well placed kick, this time for the head. I let him have it blocking it slightly with my shoulder. Moving quickly across the black training map I let him get in a few jabs. To onlookers it would look like he was winning. Far from it. My father always said it takes more energy to land a hit than miss. I could tell he was getting tired by his now sloppy jabs. He wasn't aiming for anything specific, but to simply land a hit. A mistake on his part. When he went in for his next hit I dropped the defense tactic and grabbed at the back of his head. My fist connected with the center of his stomach twice causing him to cough and gasp for breath. I let go of him and distanced myself landing a round house to his jaw effectively knocking him out.

Rolling my shoulders I took a deep breath and looked up at the open sky over the courtyard my father used for training. Five hours and Capet would open its doors once again for my final year. I didn't mind going back. I simply didn't like that I had to go through a full year taking a class under Marcus Vouclain, the lord bloodsucker himself. My family had spent generations hunting his kind and now I had one of them teaching my history class. Decades of monster hunting traditions lost because of the laws set in 1700s after all the chaos calmed down in new world. Personally, I wouldn't mind going back to the old ways. Before the vamps and dogs could call themselves the equals of wizards. I was broken from my thoughts when I heard a clap coming from the second level balcony. Looking around the wrapping balcony I stopped when I saw my father standing there with a grim expression. With slicked back dark hair and black suit the patriarch of the Francesco family gave a heir of aristocracy and danger that fitted him well. Despite my father being forthy-eight there was little doubt he could dispatch a werewolf just as quick as he could when he was my age.

"Very nice, Dante. Of course I could have done it in half the time. Though, I admire the way you went about it using his energy against him. However, you should know what won't work with a vampire or werewolf. You will tire out long before they will. You need to be quick and go for the critical hits." I nodded and acted as if I was taking his words to heart. I often wondered what he would think if I told him exactly how many brawls I had gotten into with wolves. How easy it had been. My father would be singing a different tune then, but fighting violated one of Capet's strictest rules. Neither father, mother or the Headmaster would be very happy with that, so I chose to keep that piece of information to myself. Two house elves popped in to help my training partner to the infirmary leaving just me and my father.

"Your last year at Capet and you will have both the wolf and the vampire for professors. In my day Headmaster Comeaux wouldn't have dreamed of letting two monsters teach young witches and wizards." He stated as he made his way down the stairs and into the morning light coming in from the open ceiling. The power given off by his presence would have intimidated most, it use to intimidate me, but in this setting he was my father as well as my teacher. "Sauvage is a fool to think they can be trusted. He has showed his ignorance more by allowing Papa Mamba to take his place among them. Capet is a sinking ship, Dante, be happy you won't be there to see it drown."

"Come now, darling." My mother's soft voice came from the french doors leading into the dining room. "Laurent means well. You know that." My mother always tried to be the voice of reason. She was lively and fun at hope, but she knew how to keep up appearances in public. She shared the same sense of aristocracy as my father, however my mother was a little more casual.

My father's face grew hard as he looked over at her, "Don't forget so easily what those monsters did to our daughter." He stated with a deadly sense of calmness. My hand's clenched at my sides at the mention of Coraline. He was right. Her death was their fault and they didn't even have the dignity to give up the one who was responsible for her slaughter. Instead Roux and Vouclain joined together in a attempt to keep whoever did it a secret. At least that is how father tells it. "Several respectable families have even taken their children out of Capet because of Sauvage's newest stunt."

"And went where? The Salem Institute? It's a poor excuse for a school and they know it. Within a month they will be back in New Orleans begging Sauvage to re-enroll their children. Dante, darling go shower. You need your lunch." With a smile my mother turned and made her way back to the dining room. Though my father tended to be the dominant figure, mother rarely let him get the last word. Has to be a women thing.

Nicolas POV

"Come on, Ains, this is too easy." Natalia boasted as she sunk her twelve ball in the side pocket walking around the pool table. The grill was packed that night with wizards and witches native to Louisiana waiting around for Capet to open, and muggles who simply sat around with nothing better to do. Other students from outside the state and country would be arriving in half a hour as Capet opened. Natalia arrived in the Big Easy two days after myself and had spent the night with Ainslee. Natalia leaned over the table for a better shot and it wasn't hard to miss the guys around us looking at her. Practically undressing her with their eyes. It was hard not to look I wouldn't deny that, but Natalia is my best friend, also she could hex me into a different dimension if she caught me looking at her like that. Her strong Italian features made her more exotic than some found around the French Quarter often earning her stares from unwanted audiences. This isn't to say Ainslee isn't attractive, but in a different way. Ains was the type to get too serious to quick. When she liked a guy she jumped in head first without thinking. Natalia kept everyone at arm's length. If she trusted you, let's just say you're special. "_Cazzo_!" She cursed as she knocked the Q-ball into one of the pockets. Ainslee laughed as she went in for own shot. For the past few games Nattie had been running the table and I could tell it was starting to get to our over competitive friend.

If there was one this Ains hated it was losing. She knew she couldn't beat Natalia in pool, but it still ticked her off. I patted Ainslee on the back as she missed her next shot only to have it shaken off as she cursed under her breath. I could feel the glares of the other guys around me as I stood close to Ainslee, especially after Natalia winked at me as she went for her next shot. I winked back and wrapped an arm around Ains' shoulder making a point to smirk at one of the guys sitting at the bar. Both girls had a talent for drawing unwanted attention to themselves. _Well, it's a good thing they've got me_, I thought pushing back my blue hair. "That's right, Nattie. You have this." I said as Natalia lined up what many would see as a luck shot. I would always joke that Natalia's skill at hustling and manipulation came from her mob roots. This would normally lead to me getting punched. Natalia loves her family and doesn't have a problem ripping those apart that have something to say about her family's occupation.

As predicted Natalia sunk the eight ball winning the game. "This is stupid." Ainslee said as she pushed my arm off her shoulder making her way to the Grill's exit.

Natalia shook her head at me. "She's got learn at some point. Can't win all the time" Natalia said, watching our friend storm off her chocolate brown braid swinging behind her. I nodded. We love Ainslee really, but the girl could be too competitive for own good. Natalia and I have watched her burn many of bridges because of her desire to win.

"Hey,_ cher_, want to play?" A voice asked Natalia from the bar. We looked over to see a man in his mid-twenties starring Natalia up and down.

Natalia gave me a quick smirk as she invited the man over to the table. "If you want to play with me it's double or nothing." She gave the man a sweet smile as she flipped her dark curls over her shoulder. The man smiled back. This muggle had no idea that he was about to be hustled out of everything in his pockets.

I walked over behind Natalia and put my hands on her shoulder. "I would be careful, friend. This one can be a real shark." I turned my attention to her. "I'm going to go look for Ains. Try not to have too much fun." I grinned pulling at a strand of her black hair. I knew Natalia didn't need nor want my help. When I walked by the man I flicked my wrist causing is drink fall out of his hand and onto the front of his pants. Natalia laughed at the muggle's misfortune her jade eyes following me out.

Avalon POV

As always soft jazz filled the French Quarter. Muggles stopped to admire the many street performers. Some had instruments, others were painters, some doing sleight of hand tricks. God, I love New Orleans, I thought as I made my way down the cobbled streets. The sun was beginning to set illuminating the streets with it's orange rays as the street lamps came on. Shops lined both sides of the street. Some with simple muggle merchandise other's also functioned as Wizarding shops with no muggle being the wiser. I waved when I saw Faye and her sister leaving Dally's Candy Shop. She waved back as she popped a jelly bean into her mouth. Sometimes it really was hard to tell the difference between Faye and Cerise. I've known Faye for years and I didn't have a problem with Cerise. Everyone knew Cerise's werewolf dilemma was a bad spot for Faye, she didn't like talking about it and others knew better than to ask. Further down I could see Dante Francesco and his group talking in front of a Pagan shop. Dante was one of the more interesting characters Capet had to offer. Being born from a long line of monster hunters Dante was one of the few people that actually held a grudge against New Orlean's factions. I had little doubt he would be named Head Perfect this year. _A star student with a with a grudge, fun_. You would have to be blind to say Dante Francesco wasn't good looking. Well toned body, dark perfectly kept hair and brown eyes. His prominent Italian features are what once lead me to believe he was a relative of Natalia Assuro. A belief that was quickly shot down by Natalia. Of course from the beginning of his sixth year to the end he was off limits, as he was dating Capet's famous 'it' girl, Lindsay Crowe. No one knew how they stayed together for so long or even how they actually got together, but everyone knew exactly how it ended.

As I wasn't looking someone slammed into me knocking me back. I had to grab onto a light poll to steady myself. The girl that had bumped into me had dark chocolate brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her icy blue eyes glared at me not bothering to say a apology as she stormed off. Ainslee Chavert. _Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear._ The one person that crossed Lindsay Crowe and wasn't killed by Lindsay's bestfriend Riley Kramer. The whole situation with Lindsay and Ainslee was very he-say-she-say, it was all instigated gossip in my opinion. The only people that actually knew what happened were Lindsay, Ainslee, Dante, and Riley; maybe Natalia, but it's doubtful. Natalia never seemed like the kind to get involved with idle gossip.

I brushed myself off. Honestly, Ainslee wasn't worth the time. Even if I didn't know what happened, Ainslee was everything I disliked about other females; competitive and catty. I didn't understand how Natalia and Nicholas put up with her. Speaking of the blue haired fiend, "I saw that are you okay?" Nicholas asked. I've never been quite sure what to think of Nicholas. He was nice enough, but the guy would do about anything just to say he did it. I remembered when he and Rafael LeBlanc blew up their cauldrons in Alchemy just to get out of the next day's test. He was the main reason Gaudium won House Cup last year over Validus, a achievement I need to thank him for. "Earth to Avalon. Are you alright?" Nicholas asked slowly as he grinned. Shaking his head causing his blue hair to cover part of his eyes. For some reason it felt good having a conversation with a least one person that was shorter than me. If only by a inch.

"I'm fine. What's her problem?"

Nicholas looked off after Ainslee. "You know how Ains is. She went a little overboard in the Grill." He said simply with a shrug.

"No, I don't know how she is. Ainslee is your friend not mine." I reminded him. "Speaking of _my_ friends, have you seen Nat?"

Nicholas put his hand on his chin and looked in deep thought. "Nat? Not Nattie. Natalie. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes? Too nice for her own good?" He asked playfully. He clearly knew who I was talking about he just wanted to get a rise out of me.

"Yes, that one." I said hoping my annoyed tone would help him get the message.

"Hmm, sorry don't know." He said finally. "But, hey why don't you come back to the Grill and we can look for her." He suggested with a grin.

I rolled my eyes making my way around him. "Don't you have a friend to go after." I told him heading down the street. 'well, you're no fun' I heard him say as he walked off probably after Ainslee. I didn't care to look back as I looked at my watch. Capet opened in a fifteen minutes and I still couldn't find Natalie. Witches and wizards started to leave the shops and make their way toward the Academy. I was hoping to talk to her before, but I guess i'll just have to catch up with her at the feast. I followed the crowd through the streets. Everyone moved to the sidewalk as black Cadillacs began to drive by coming to screeching halts in front of Jackson Square. I watched as first years looked up at Capet in wonder. It's massive size and Spanish Colonial style made it stand out, yet allowed it to keep its New Orleans flare. The three buildings that make up Capet were once for muggle use. On either side of St. Louis Cathedral stood the identical Cabildo and Presbytere buildings. The two were used for classes and common rooms, Animus and Gaudium in the Cabildo, and Sapientia and Validus in the Presbytere. In the middle, St. Louis Cathedral had been converted into our Great Hall. All together, including Jackson Square, Capet took up three blocks.

One by one students from all over America and the world began pouring out of the cars and into the square. Rushing to their friends and jumping into hugs. I caught a glimpse of Lindsay Crowe rising smoothly out of one of the cars making a quick, yet graceful bee-line toward Riley. Mirren Caldreen in all her preppy glory jumped out of one of the cars stretching out before she was pulled into a hug by Raphael LeBlanc. Thea Reeves was leading her younger siblings toward the Cathedral. I recognized the ribboned ponytail of Clara Oliver as she walked as she made small talk with Tallulah Eldridge. As one of the car doors open I quickly recognized the tall, well built blonde that came out. "Rune!" I yelled.

When he turned and saw me he quickly opened his arms for a hug which I accepted. Rune was one of the better looking guys at Capet with his natural rugged looks, yet the most laid back. Rune wasn't the type to start a fight or get in trouble for the fun of it. In fact because of his personality he was one of the most popular with Capet's female population. I met Rune my fourth year during Charms. Charms is my best subject, but for Rune not so much. I agreed to tutor him and after that we were golden. It's funny sometimes even with his half-blood roots Rune knew little to nothing about muggle technology. It once took me two hours to explain to him that Twitter wasn't bird calling. Though it make some sense as he was raised mainly in a community of wiccans and druids. "Avalon! How have you been?" He asked pulling me with the crowd toward the Cathedral.

"Good, what about you?" I asked as we all stood at the large cathedral doors of the Academy.

Before Rune could answer the doors were flung open and in front of us stood Professor Sauvage and Professor von Rothman. Our headmaster smiled kindly at us as he made eye contact with as many of us as possible. Those icy grey eyes of his had the power to make you feel like the most important person in the world or the worst. Though Professor Sauvage was in his early sixties he didn't look a day over forty-five. He had no wrinkles to give away his true age, the only sign was his grey hair and trimmed greying beard. Professor von Rothman stood at his side smiling at us as well. Her black hair was pulled into a bun giving her a more inviting look as she glanced over us with her emerald eyes. "Welcome home." He said simply stepping aside for us to enter. We could all feel the push of passing through Capet's wards. I could vaguely hear some complaints as their cellphones shut down. Yeah, we are home. I thought happily as we made our way to the dining hall.

* * *

**If anything is out of order forgive me I'm still getting use to the characters. This chapter was going to posted yesterday, but i'm on a vacation of sorts and had little to no access outside of my phone and I also managed to loose two hours of editing due to my own stupidity. Anyway so this chapter is introducing some of the characters obviously. I haven't chosen my main or minors yet since i'm waiting for submissions to end on the 30th, but I have a good idea already of who I am going to use at this point. If you're reading this and haven't submitting a character there is still plenty of time. Though I must warn you if you're sending in a female try to shy away from dark hair. All of my female submissions but two have dark hair and they are starting to blend together. I have a nice range of guys, but I could definitely use more. Here is a list of what I have now:**

**Gaudium: **

Natalie Lewis

Rune Brody

Avalon Ross

**Sapientia:**

Dante Francesco

Clara Oliver

Tallulah Eldridge

**Animus:**

Theodora Reeves

Faye Lavine

**Validus:**

Natalia Assuro

Lindsay Crowe

Mirren Caldreen

Riley Kramer

Ainslee Chavert

Nicholas Andrews

Rafael LeBlanc

Paulon De Pointier

**So obviously Animus and Sapientia need some love, but most importantly I need guys. Please review and don't forget to comment on what you think of the other OCs not just your own. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Tallulah POV**

I stayed near the back of the group as everyone flooded into the Great Hall. I was one of the few people who still took the time to take in our surrounds even after six years. In my defense the Great Hall's design rarely ever stayed the same outside of its structure of course, with its crème colored marble walls and golden trim. Large round columns lined the walls holding up the second floor balcony where the majority of professors sat. Hanging from the sides of the balconies were flags. A flag for each home country of students that passed through Capet's halls. In the middle of the room were four long cherry wood tables. Each able to sit 150 kids. The ceiling of the Cathedral was one of the few things that never changed. In the shape of a dome, it was hand painted in traditional Spanish colonial style. Skylights circled the dome letting in natural rays from the moon. While torches circled the large columns and lined the walls. Every stained glass window showed a different scene. One showed a dragon breathing fire, while another was a glass portrait of Merlin that would smile at the students as they passed. The only thing slightly out-of-place was the black and white checkered floors. Professor Sauvage must have picked those out.

At the front of the room was another large cherry table turned on its side so it faced us. This table is meant for the Headmaster, the four Heads of House and the two faction leaders. Four banners hung over top the table. Each over where the representative of that house would sit. At the far right of the table was the bronze and red hawk banner of Gaudium. Professor Mahmond had a powerful presence to him. His slicked back black hair and dark coal colored eyes made him look intense and mysterious. What was truly mysterious about him is his sudden appearance at Capet. Professor Mahmond had taught divination at Hogwarts for five years before suddenly resigning and showing up at Capet's door just last year. He had tried for a position in the Arcane Arts, but was unable to obtain it. Not many can compete with Professor von Rothman in that field. However, he did come right after Professor McAllister quit out of the blue. Professor McAllister had been the Head of Gaudium and Charms professor before suddenly quitting after summer break last year. Only a few days later did Professor Mahmond show up and take both positions.

At his left side, beside the Headmaster, under the large silver and purple fox banner of Sapientia sat Professor Hoang. She and Professor Mahmond engaged in a quiet conversation as they watched students take their seats. Professor Hoang's glowing orange eyes were unnerving as she scanned the room. Her young porcelain face held no expression as she leaned over and responded to whatever the charms professor had said. It was well-known that Professor Hoang was no normal witch. Her Kitsune origins made it questionable whether is was politically correct to call her a witch or a supernatural Professor Mahmond's left at the edge of the table sat Professor Vouclain. He gave the vampire a polite smile while Professor Hoang outright ignored his presence.

I could hear whispers around me as we all seemed to notice the same thing. The black and gold leopard of Validus that had once been at the Headmaster's immediadent left had been moved over a seat. It's banner was still in place but there was a empty chair between the Headmaster and Professor Aceves. Professor Aceves was the epiphany of tall, dark, and dangerous; that was something to be said when one of his colleagues was one of the oldest vampires in America. Professor Aceves is another one of the Headmasters controversial pet projects. Before he was a professor, Victor Aceves was the first dark wizard to successfully break into the American Ministry and make his way to the Unspeakable levels before he was caught. At only twenty-eight Professor Aceves was what the Ministry called a class five offender. When it happened Capet had just lost its Dark Arts and Defense teacher to a stroke. There was little doubt he would be sent to Alcatraz before Professor Sauvage turned up at his hearing and vouched for him. Since Aceves hadn't hurt anyone Professor Sauvage convinced the Ministry to let him pay off his time doing a service to the magical community by teaching at Capet. Professor Aceves was appreciative to say the least. At the table he was leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. His sleeves were rolled up so you could see the many black and white tattoos that covered his arms. His eyes were a light grey almost silver that had a viper like quality to them. He was only slightly tanned with short blonde hair and slight stubble. At thirty Professor Aceves could give any man a run for his money in the looks department with a dark aura that only seemed to draw people in.

Professor von Rothman, Head of Animus, was at the door with Professor Sauvage greeting students still. The orange and grey banner hung over the empty seat a embodiment of a bear taking up most the space on the banner. On the far side of the table was Professor Roux. The werewolf grinned at something Professor Aceves had said before noticing Faye Lavine and giving her a motherly smile. Behind the big table was a large fireplace that could fit at least twenty people. It's flame glowed red at the base as a normal flame would, but as it rose and flickered it become bronze. The colors of house Gaudium. They won the House Cup last year. It was the first time in three years that Validus hadn't won the House Cup. While Gaudium thanked the arrival of Professor Mahmond for their win, Validus or at least Professor Aceves blamed Nicholas Andrews' end of year prank for causing them to lose points, coming in only one point behind Gaudium.

As everyone in Sapientia began to take a seat I made a point to sit as far away from the others as I could. It didn't last long as Clara Oliver decided to strike up a conversation. I don't dislike Clara, but i'm also not her biggest fan. She is nice to everyone. What makes her being nice to me so special? I don't like pity and that's exactly the vibe Clara is giving off right now. It's true i'm not the most popular person at Capet. I'm not outgoing like Riley Kramer or charismatic like Natalia Assuro. Not pretty like Lindsay Crowe. I know I don't fit the mold of the other girls around me. Honestly, I'm fine with that.

The cathedral was consumed in a subtle roar as everyone from teacher to students spoke. I looked over each table. Validus was lively as always with Riley and Nicholas standing beside the table waving their arms as they told some elaborate story that caused the table to erupt in laughter. Lindsay was laughing so hard her face began to turn purple, while Natalia shook her head in mock disappointment with a grin on her face. I wasn't the only one studying the Validus table. Though the corner of my eye I could see my housemate, Lex Adamas, staring at something in the same direction. I wasn't sure what he was looking at but he had an unusually thoughtful expression on his face. It was quickly dropped when he noticed me looking. His cocky demeanor returned as he patted Dante on the back. It was surprising that he is still on good terms with Dante since Lindsay is his cousin. Well, at least that is what he says. Sometimes Lindsay goes along with it, sometimes she bluntly ignores him.

The Animus and Gaudium tables were all smiles as friends took their seats and some gave a thumbs up to the first-years that began to enter the Great Hall lead by the Headmaster and Professor von Rothman. The first-years had the same look of wonder and slight fear they had standing outside. Some of them waved to siblings and cousins while others looked up at the balconies at the onlooking professors. One of the first years standing behind me whispered to her friend, "See the one of the far left? That's the vampire dad was talking about." I glanced back, twins.

The headmaster and von Rothman walked up the stairs and turned so they faced us. Professor von Rothman raised her hand and tapped her throat, "Vox vocis" she said. "Everyone's attention." She said in her now amplified tone. "For those of you that don't know me, I am Professor von Rothman. Welcome to Capet. You will take your seats in a moment, but first we must decide where you belong. You will be placed in one of the four houses: Gaudium, Sapientia, Validus, or Animus." She gestured to each house table in order. "You and your new house will work as a team. Together you will earn points throughout the year or, as Mr. Andrews knows well, lose points." Nicholas raised his fist in triumph of making it into von Rothman's welcome speech. "When called you will come up and Capet will decide to which house you belong." Professor Malikov came from the side bringing a bowl of fire out. Malikov dropped it allowing it to float in the air in front of von Rothman. Capet's way of sorting was much different than how other magical schools did it. According to my books every school relied on some sort of magical object. Hogwarts had their sorting hat, the Salem Institute used a mirror that was believed to read the soul of those that stood in front of it. Every school had a different method, but Capet was the only school that allowed the school to decide for itself. Von Rothman would channel the magic of Capet helping it read the students. When the magic decides the flame in the bowl would glow the color of that house.

"Rebecca Aaron." She called the first name. A scrawny girl with honey blonde hair hesitantly made her way towards von Rothman. The Arcane Arts professor coaxed her closer with a calm smile. When the girl was standing in front of her, the professor placed her hands on either side of the girls head and closed her eyes. Within seconds the flame inside the floating bowl turned grey and orange, Animus. Professor von Rothman opened her eyes and smiled at the girl, "Welcome."

* * *

**Peter POV**

The room was mostly quiet as we waited for Professor von Rothman to finish sorting the first-years. "Gaudium!" She said as a stocky, black-haired boy. Gaudium erupted in howls and clapping. Clara Oliver clapped loudly as well seeing as it was her younger brother. She gave him a quick hug as he made his way past her to the Gaudium table. When von Rothman finished she picked up the bowl and moved it away from the table. Headmaster Sauvage moved to take her place.

"Welcome back, students." His smooth voice echoed through the hall. Everyone was dead silent giving him their respect. "I would like to congratulate our newest students on their sorting. I wish you all nothing, but success in your new homes. Also I wish congratulate Dante Francesco and Malina Torrent on their positions as Head Perfects" A round of applause was shared around the room. Francesco smirked with pride while his friend Lex high-fived him. No doubt Lex thought this meant a get-out-of-jail-free card. I couldn't bring myself to clap for either of them. Malina Torrent was decent enough, but she was a stickler for every rule ever made to the point of even annoying some in Sapientia, including me. I noticed Lindsay Crowe was clapping slowly with an unintrested look on her face. Which was her right considering her history with Dante. Dante didn't deserve her, he never did. With his holier-than-thou monster hunter attitude. Always treating those from the factions as if they were below him. When Ainslee Chavert's obsession with Dante started Lindsay made it clear she would fight for Dante, but she wouldn't fight over him. Lindsay hates drama. I understand why she refused to keep subjecting herself to that. Lindsay shouldn't have had to compete with Chavert in the first place. Francesco should have recognized the perfection he already had.

"I'm sure you have all noticed that some of your housemates may not be here. I'm also sure you are all aware of the reasons some of them have chosen to leave Capet." Some whispers were shared and others looked around taking count of just how many have left. "I understand that some of you and your families don't agree with Capet's new arrangement. I will assure you this; I would never make a choice that would put this school or it's students in danger. I and the council made the decision to include the voodoo faction into our alignment out of a desire for peace." A subtle look of annoyance crossed the faces of the other two faction leaders. I knew I wasn't the only one that saw it. Tallulah Eldridge was looking from the werewolf to vampire with a intrested expression. Tallulah had always been observant, more so than even I. According to my father, who was told by lord Marcus himself, the council hadn't agreed on this. In fact, Sauvage was out voted three to one. I didn't shock me that the Headmaster decided to take matters into his own hands.

"With that said I would like you all to give a warm welcome to Papa Mamba." With a wave of his hand the doors of the Great Hall came open and a man walked in. He wore a clean pressed white suit that contrasted with the darkness of his skin. His eyes were as dark as Professor Mahmond's but not nearly as calming. There were mixed reactions throughout the hall. The look of fear was clear on many faces, while others looked on in interest or wonder. The man was unwavered by the intense stares as he walked with his head high, giving off a aura of confidence. I wish I had half the confidence Papa Mamba had at this moment. He walked up to the Headmaster and gave the mad a quick hug. Sauvage lead him to his seat between himself and Professor Aceves. The D.A.D professor gave a nod of acknowledgment as Papa Mamba sat. Aceves wasn't one to be a hypocrite, being a convicted criminal he had no room to judge. Professor Mahmond looked on warily while Professor Hoang had a look of obvious distaste.

"Papa Mamba's class of the Understanding of Voodoo will be open only to the upperclassman starting at sixth years. The class is mandatory. I wish for this to be another step toward peace for Capet and New Orleans. However, in order for us to reach this peace we must all work together. All I can ask from any of you is that you open your minds to the possibilities. With that thought, let us eat." Professor Sauvage sat and food appeared on the tables.

"Peter, can you hand me an apple?" Clara asked. I hesitated looked around the table. The apples were directly in front of me. Why couldn't she have asked someone else? I picked up a red apple and held it out in her direction, preferring to look at the apple in my hand rather than at her. "Thank you." She said kindly. She was probably smiling too, but all I saw was her slightly chipped blue nails as she took the apple from me.

"You're welcome." I said quickly. She seemed like she was waiting for me to say more. When I didn't she turned and went back to talking to Tallulah. I can't even talk to Clara without getting nerves. How would I be able to talk the girl I'm actually interested in if I could even look Clara Oliver in the eyes? _This is going to be a long year._

* * *

**_Riley POV_**

"Not going to happen, Lindsay. Last time you dyed my hair it was orange for a week." I argued pointing my wand accusingly at the blonde perpetrator. Lindsay and Natalia both have been arguing with me to re-dye my hair all night. "By the way. I don't know if either of you realise this, but it's _my_ hair. I get to pick the color." I layed on my stomach looking between both of them from my spot on Lindsay's bed. As I laid on the black silk doublet I couldn't help but think how good it felt to be back. As always the Validus dorm was done stylishly in it's traditional black and gold. The room was set up so their were two beds on the opposite two walls. Each bed frame was made of ebony wood keeping with the color scheme as velvet curtains circled the beds. The gold Validus leopard was stitched into each bedspread.

"And that's _my_ bed, but you don't see me complaining." Lindsay said as she stood in front of the mirror brushing out her hair.

"You're not using it." I shot back propping myself up on by elbows. Natalia come out of the bathroom drying her raven hair with a towel. The only one out of place is Ainslee. Ainslee hasn't been very talkative tonight. Not that it's bothering me any. She played with her chocolate brown hair idely, she kept her icy eyes down, probably not wanting to look me in the eyes. Despite the rumors floating around about Ainslee and Dante, I knew first-hand that Lindsay and Dante's breakup was Ainslee's doing alone.

It's not like Dante was Lindsay's true love or anything, but Ainslee and Lindsay were friends. Ainslee's obsession with Dante was uncalled for. "So Ainslee, how was summer? Did you talk to Dante any?" I asked.

A cold italian voice was quick to respond, "Riley, drop it." Natalia warned her jade eyes bore into me. Natalia had always had a soft spot for Ainslee and refused to chose sides when the drama started.

"Why? I just asking a question." I defended, leaning up so I was sitting on my legs.

Natalia through her towel at me, "A question that is going to start shit that I don't feel like dealing with tonight. It happened, it's over. It was a mistake. It's our first night back. I would like to enjoy it." Natalia stared me down confidently, a gaze I easily returned. I knew I could out duel anyone at Capet. Natalia included, but Nattie was my friend.

I opened my mouth to say more, but I felt Lindsay sit down beside me. "She's right. It's over with." Lindsay said coldly. "But I am interested to know. Out of all the people you could have started some obsession with, why would it be my boyfriend?" It was a valid question. Lindsay and Dante had been dating for five months when Ainslee randomly started showing interest in Dante. She made a point to find him and talk to him. Try to get his attention whenever possible. If Dante had been anyone else it would have gotten blown off, but he was Lindsay Crowe's boyfriend. The rumors spread like wildfire after the first week. Lindsay didn't believe the half of them, but I could see she was getting tired of people trying to instigate things between her and Ainslee. Dante blew off the rumors and Ainslee.

"Ex- boyfriend." Natalia corrected earning a glare from Lindsay. I knew better than anyone that Lindsay wasn't in love with Dante at the time. She may have been interested by him, but she didn't love him. He was simply the type of guy she went for. Tall, muscular, and popular. In some aspects I knew more about Dante than she did. She dated Dante because she felt that was what she was expected to do as Capet's 'it' girl, but no one would understand that. Lindsay always saw herself in a certain light. One that always made me think she was too hard on herself.

"What does it matter, Lindsay?" Ainslee asked through her teeth. "It was last year. I made a mistake, for Merlin's sake. We were fifteen and you didn't even like him that much. Even I could tell you were only pretending you were happy with him." She accused. Her ice blue hues dared Lindsay to deny it.

"Your excuse is that you were fifteen... did you mature any in the last four months." Riley asked.

Lindsay ignored her friends comment, "You know what? I wasn't happy, but that doesn't justify-" Suddenly a loud, sharp whistle ran through the room. I hissed and grabbed for a pillow. Squashing my ears between the pillow and bed hoping to stop the sound. Lindsay and Ainslee attempted to cover their ears with their hands. I looked over and saw Natalie with her wand raised. When she lowered it the sound stopped.

"Natalia! What was that for?" I yelled throwing my pillow at her.

"I am done with all of you tonight. This is ridiculous. Yes, Ainslee was in the wrong. No, I won't defend that. It's our first night back and I can't even pretend to enjoy it." She rubbed her head in annoyance. "Since when do I have to be the adult here?" She said to herself.

* * *

**Paulon POV**

It wasn't till we got back to the dorm that I noticed we were missing one of our roommates. Drake Callahan must have been one of the ones that left Capet. It didn't take Rafael long to pull out his trumpet and playing 'House of the Rising Sun' around the spot were Drake's bed had been. None of us really liked Drake. He was a good chaser that was it. Since his old bed was gone we had more room now. Me, Nicholas, and Rafael with the room to ourselves. This is going to be interesting. I will admit it's a little strange to see Rafael so happy. Over the years I've seen him change his entire persona at the drop of a hat to fit his needs. Going from happy-go-lucky to insane in two seconds flat. His hobbit like hair flopped as he jumped up onto his bed, still playing.

Nicholas on the other hand was more predictable. If you looked closely enough you could see the gears grinding in his head as he thought about his newest plan for causing havok. "Nick, I have to ask. Have you slept with either of them yet?" I was obviously referring to Natalia Assuro and Ainslee Chavert. He spent more time with the two of them then he did with us. Not that I blame him, they were both gorgeous.

"Nattie and Ains? No, and I don't plan to either." He said laying back on his bed.

I groaned at his boring answer. "Oh, come on. You can do better than that." I egged him on. I knew there was something between him and one of them. He did have a thing for Ainslee when we were first years, though I doubt it stuck long.

"Nothing else to it. Nattie would hex me into a different dimension and Ains is.. Ains." He said simply running his hand through his blue hair. "What about you Pretty Boy? Hobbit? Anything either of you would like to share?" He asked us. Pretty boy. Why did he always have to resort to that one.

"Well, there was this pretty red-head waitress at the Grill." I remembered.

Rafael laughed, "That one wouldn't need much convincing. She would have jumped your bones had you given her the chance."

Nicholas leaned up and looked at him with a raised brow. "'Jumped your bones' who says that anymore?" Rafael took a moment to flip him off.

"Back on topic, guys." I said as I went through a list of the girls I know in my head. "What about Riley?" I suggested. She is funny, has a good body, easy to get along with if you're not on her bad side.

Nicholas fell back onto his bed laughing and I saw Rafael grin. "You and Kramer? You seemed to have forgotten when she blasted you off the dueling table last year." He laughed. The situation wouldn't have been that bad if we had been actually dueling when it happened.

I rolled my eyes at them. "Whatever, she's not my type anyway." I moved to get into my own bed. "Besides from what I hear a certain Sapientia was looking at her all night."

"See, this is what I was talking about. He even gossips like a woman." Nicholas complained to Rafael. "I've got Aceves in the morning. I need my sleep to prepare for the abuse." Everyone at Capet knew Aceves hasn't been very fond of Nicholas since he caused us to lose the house cup. By the look Professor Aceves gave Nicholas when he walked into the Great Hall that unfondness has only been building over the summer.

"How does it feel when our dark wizard of a professor has it out for you?" Rafael asked.

Nicholas shook his blue head and laughed, "It makes me feel special." He replied cheekily.

* * *

**Another Sunday update! I want to be able to do this with each house where you can see them in the dorms and what not. Next chapter will mostly be in the classes. Will Nicholas survive Professor Aceves? I got to thinking about the House Cup. What do you guys say if we do a competition? Say for each chapter the most helpful two reviews will get a point for the house that author's OC is in. By helpful I mean, what you think of the chapter in general, the characters (student and teacher), ect. You guys let me know what you want to do.**

**So here is what everyone has been waiting for. There is a extremely thin line between mains and minor it kinda just depends on reviews, but these are the characters I will get the most use out of.**

Cast:

**Dante Francesco  
Lindsay Crowe  
Riley Kramer  
Nicholas Andrews  
Avalon Ross**

**Natalia Assuro  
Pete Longhorn  
Wyatt Viars  
Tallulah Eldridge  
Lex Adamas  
Luke Harraway**

**I did add one to my original ten, just because he stood out against the others and will be useful. Keep in mind I do run off a review system in a way. Characters can be replaced if a author is inactive, if you can't review for any reason just PM me about it. You will still see a lot of the supporting characters, especially with dorm room and class chapters. A full list of the characters can be found on my profile. Anyway here is your chapter! Please review, not only about your character, but the rest of them. Thank you all so much for the favorites/subs and sending in amazing characters. Special thank you to the reviewers! Hope to see you guys next week. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN! I said this would be a story with darker undertones, well there is one near the end of this chapter. So be prepared.**

* * *

Avalon POV

"You know it's not nice to keep things from your best friend." I complained. I charmed my brush to help tame my bed ridden hair. Natalie stood across the room doing the same. I hadn't seen her at dinner last night, I didn't even see her come into the dorm. Natalie looked at me through her mirror and shrugged. Her hazel green eyes avoiding mine. It was hard for Natalie to lie. For one, she normally didn't. Natalie rarely ever lies. She never has a reason to. She's a stickler for the rules. And second, her eyes always turn dark green when she was hiding something. She turned toward me stepping into the light. The light from the window accentuated her strong greek and indian features. The light bounded off her brown hair showing off natural highlights of blonde and red.

"Come on, Ava. I told you I was running late. Heck, I barely remember last night. Everything's blurry." She said shaking her head. Her eyes turned a light amber. She was telling the truth. "We have Aceves class in thirty minutes and we haven't even gone to breakfast yet." As if timed her stomach began to growl.

"Fine, I believe you. Let's go eat. The last thing we need is to be late to Aceves this early in the year." As hot as Professor Aceves was he is still a dark wizard. He probably knows spells we haven't even heard of. As fond as he is of holding dueling tournaments, he wasn't to be messed with.

We walked out the door and down the stone staircase into the center room. "Excuse me!" A first-year yelled as he rushed down the stairs. He nearly tripped as he attempted to tuck his shirt in and run at the same time. First years were always terrified of being late to classes. Our center room was designed around a large rug in the middle of the room with a large red hawk stitched into it. The Gaudium dorm was homie to say the least. I can't speak about the other dorms, since I've never been in there. Couches and chairs were spread around the room including lounging pillows around the fireplace. It was a very home-away-from-home vibe for me.

"Ava! Nat!" We turned to see Rune making his way down the stairs. His large frame towered over everyone in the room. "Nat! I didn't see you last night. Where were you?" He asked enveloping our petite friend in a bear hug.

Natalie hugged him back with equal strength, well she tried to. "Wolfie! I missed you." Rune grinned at his nickname. Rune had always been a werewolf fan-boy. With Rune's rugged looks and strong build it would be easy to mistake him as a werewolf. "Honestly, I don't know. I had a migraine last night, everything is just really blurry. My head still hurts, but i'm fine. Can we please eat now?" Nat asked putting on her puppy face, causing Rune and me to laugh.

"Got to keep your strength up for Quidditch this year. We are going to need our keeper in top condition." I said nudging Nat playfully.

Rune nodded, "Yeah, Aceves isn't happy that Validus lost by one game last year. He named De Pointier and Kramer captain and co-captain this year." Everyone remembers the final Quidditch game last year. Both Animus and Validus only needed one more win for the year. The school was divided for a week leading up to the game. Half the school sported black and gold for Validus and the other orange and grey for Animus. "Speaking of, has anyone seen Franklin?" He asked using his height to look around the room for our captain.

"No one has." Rhythm said coming into the conversation. Rhythm looked at Nat and I trying not to look at Rune. I saw blush creeping up from the collar of her shirt. Rhythm Bell wasn't traditionally pretty like many girls at Capet, but she was exotic at best. Indonesian heritage set her apart from most the cajun population. "I was going to ask him about the tryouts, but couldn't find him. Ryan said he wasn't at dinner last night." Rhythm explained.

"That's weird it's his last year." Nat said. Franklin was a tough captain. All he talked about after our final loss last year was winning the final quidditch game his seventh year. The sound of the cathedral bell rang through the common room. It's time for first period. "Not fair! I didn't get to eat."

"We'll grab something on the way. Do you really want to be late to D.A.D?" I asked her. I knew she wouldn't. Nat hates being late to anything. It goes against her code of honor in a way. Rune pushed us both toward the door. We walked a quick pace to the Presbytere building leading us to be one of the first there.

When we reached the door to the D.A.D. room we all looked at each other before opening the door. The room reminded me of my elementary school gym by it's size. On one side of the room sat the desks that faced the large wall of chalkboards. Names of spells and images of creatures were drawn on the chalkboards. The pieces of chalk worked frantically to get down what ever notes Aceves had charmed them to write. On the opposite side of the room were two large dueling tables with benches on either side. Aceves was a strict dueling teacher. He would take the best duelers in the school under his wing and train them. So far this list included Dante Francesco, Luke Harraway, and Riley Kramer.

Rune, Natalie, and I found seats near the middle of the room and watched as other students flooded in. Some classes were set to only have two houses in the class at the same time, but not D.A.D. Dante and Lex walked in with the rest of Sapientia behind them. The two had intimating frames much like Rune. However, Rune had a calming, brotherly energy about him that the two Sapientia didn't. When Natalie saw Lex walk in she quickly turned around to face the front of the room. Nat and Lex had dated secretly for a while in our fifth year, against my attempts to explain to her why it wouldn't work. Nat wanted the bad boy type and that is what Lex had to offer. It put a strain on our friendship as whenever I would try to explain why Lex was bad for her she would lash out. Around Christmas of that year Nat wanted them to be official, let the school know they were together. Lex turned her down. When Nat demanded to know why, Lex told her he was interested in someone else. Two years later Nat still isn't over it. Lex on the other hand dates girls on and off, but never strings them along longer than a few weeks.

I looked between the two guys. Dante and Lex are as thick as thieves. The same black hair, though Dante's is more tamed then Lex's curls. While Dante had this Italian thing going for him, Lex looked like a stereotypical hot villain in a Hollywood movie. Aristocratic vs clean-cut bad boy. The two sat on the opposite side of the room with members of their posse taking seats around them.

Validus came in next. Riley and Lindsay were laughing about something as they made their way down the aisle. Riley's strawberry hair was braided back and held with a signature beaded headband. She wore her uniform well, with a curvy form that she and Lindsay were envied for. She was paler than her blonde counterpart. Lindsay's golden locks flowed as she walked. Though she smiled at Riley her grey eyes were guarded. She wasn't one to let her emotions be seen in public.

Everyone flooded in one by one. Some of the braver ones took seats near the front, while many were quick to snatch up seats in the back. Nicholas walked in with Natalia and Ainslee. He had a grin on his face as he sat down directly in front of Aceves desk. "He has a death wish." I heard Nat mutter.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something black making it's way up the aisle. I turned to see a sleek, black panther strutting between the desks. Aceves walked out of his office and stared the animal down as it made it's way toward him. When the large cat was close enough Aceves placed his hand on the panther's head. We watched in wonder as the cat turned into a mist and absorbed into our professor's arm. When the panther was completely gone Aceves showed his forearm were a tattoo of a panther now was.

"Welcome back." Professor Aceves said with a smile on his handsome face. The way he smiled put everyone on the edge of their seat. Like he was the cat that caught the canary. "Aren't you all lucky to have me as your first period? I thought about it last night. Since most of you are sixth years I figured we'd do something fun to start off with."

"What does he mean by fun?" Clara hesitantly asked.

Nicholas laughed from the front of the class and turned to look at her. "It means it's time for public humiliation."

* * *

Lex POV

Andrews was right. When he said that Aceves turned and smirked at him. "Francesco, Kramer, both of you take a table." He motioned them toward the dueling tables. It was almost unfair to put anyone up against them as both had private tutoring from Aceves. "Let's see how many of you have advanced since last year." Aceves said taking in the panicked looks of some students at the thought of facing the dueling champions. I grinned over at Dante. I went to stand, willing to volunteer myself against Dante, but Aceves motioned for me to sit. "Andrews, you're with Francesco."

I have to give Andrews props. He calmly stood and smiled up at the professor as he made his way onto the table. Riley stood on top of her table scanning over the girls in the room. No doubt, wondering which poor soul Aceves would choose to face her. She had this air of confidence as she stood up there that I couldn't help but admire. "Let's see." Aceves said walking down the aisle almost feeding off the tension in the room.

"I'll go." A voice called from the front of the class. Everyone stood shocked as Ainslee Chavert stood up and walked toward Riley's table. Even Riley couldn't hide her shocked expression as Chavert jumped on to the table and readied her wand. The whole class was shocked. Natalia and surprisingly Lindsay both looked like they wanted to say something. Dante didn't have a expression on his face, simply shook his head. We all knew Chavert was a competitive one, but to willingly walk on to a dueling table with arguably the best dueler in Capet. Chavert had a look of determination on her face as she stared Riley down. The class stood and walked over to the benches. I sat and kicked my feet up on the bench beside me. It's been a while since I've seen a good cat fight.

Riley on the other hand, stood calmly on her end, twirling her wand between her fingers. "You sure about this, Ainslee?" She asked stiffly.

Ainslee nodded, though you could see hesitation as her eyes drifted to Riley's wand. "We have a volunteer then." Professor Aceves said.

Nicholas looked at Ainslee, "May the odds be ever in your favor." He said seriously. The class laughed at his Hunger Games reference. With a look from Aceves it was quickly quieted. He took a quick look around the room and realized everyone was focused on Riley and Ainslee.

"Chavert, Riley, you go first." Aceves said, "Remember no cutting spells, elemental, or spells above a class two."

With that Riley and Ainslee both took their stances. Ainslee was stiff, like a cornered animal. Riley stood relaxed. "Start." With that Ainslee fired spells at Riley rapidly. With each spell Ainslee took a step forward. Riley didn't move though, instead she blocked each spell never taking her eyes off her advancing opponent. When Riley saw an opening she went for it firing a _flipendo_ spell that hit Ainslee in the chest. Though a minor spell, it managed to knock Chavert on her back.

"_Carpe Retractum." _A orange whip spread from Riley's wand grabbing Ainslee by the foot and pulling her across the table. It stopped when Ainslee was directly under Riley. "Give up, Ainslee." Riley said. It was obvious Riley didn't want to continue with the duel. Ainslee had a different look in her eyes. Hatred rolled off the petite brunette in waves as she stared up at Riley. The idea that she had lost seemed to be sinking in. _  
_

"Kramer." Aceves said, causing Riley to look at him. When Riley turned her head Ainslee raised her wand and a red spell flew from it hitting Riley in the jaw. Everyone stood when Riley let loose a scream. We all watched as blood dripped from Riley's mouth. Ainslee used this to her advantage quickly standing. She raised her wand, _"stupify_!" Chavert yelled. Riley turned quickly holding out her palm as the spell hit it. She closed her hand around the red spell and it turned purple in her hand. She pushed her palm out at Ainslee throwing the spell back at her. Chavert tried to put up a shield, but she spell passed right through it, hitting her in the stomach. Ainslee was thrown from the table completely landing on the floor.

No one moved or made a sound after what they had just witnessed. Nicholas and Natalia rushed to check on Ainslee. Before I knew what I was doing I offered my hand to Riley helping her off the table. "Not bad, Kramer. Though, a little slow to the draw." I told her.

Her eyes hardened as she shook me off. "Oh, I'm sure you could have done better. I distinctively remember knocking you out last year."

"That was a cheap shot." I defended smirking down at her.

She rolled her eyes. "What can I say? You were just a little too slow to the draw." She said in a cheeky tone. I can't help bothering Riley. It's simply too much fun. She get's worked up so easily.

"Riley, are you okay?" Lindsay asked pushing me out of the way. The blonde did a quick scan of Riley making sure she was okay.

Riley nodded, "Are you kidding? Aceves lesions are more brutal than this. You have to admit; it was kinda awesome."

"What was that anyway?" Lindsay asked. I wanted to know to. What Riley had done was Auror level magic. She had grabbed a spell out of the air, and changed it completely before throwing it back.

Riley shrugged, "Perks of being Aceves' favorite student." Sadly, I knew she wouldn't give details. When Aceves said his lesions were private he meant it. First time I asked Dante about it all he told me was 'First rule of duel club is don't talk about duel club'.

"Hey, Ainslee wait!" We heard Nicholas yell from the other side of the room. Chavert stormed out the door. Nicholas looked ready to follow her before Natalia stopped him.

"Let her go." Aceves said. He walked over to Riley, "You alright, Kramer?" Riley nodded, the professor took out his wand and placed it on Riley's cheek._"Curatio"_ He said healing the inside of Riley's mouth. He turned to address the class. "Alright everyone, I think it's good to say we are done for today. You're all free to go."

Lindsay grabbed Riley and pulled her toward the door leaving me to watch. I felt a presence behind me and a hand clapped down on my shoulder. "You have got it bad, Lex." Dante said looking in the direction of the retreating girls.

"I know." There was no point in denying it. "She did get Chavert good didn't she? Weren't you worried?"

Dante looked at me with an arched brow, "Why would I be? Ainslee isn't my problem. She should have thought it through before volunteering herself to be Riley's punching bag."

I grinned and punched him lightly, "That's cold man. You did sleep with her."

Dante's face turned cold as he looked at me. "And who's fault is that?"

* * *

Luke POV

I knew Faye was right, but still a whole class devoted to voodoo? "It's not learning voodoo, Luke. It's learning _about_ it." Faye explained as we walked up the stairs to the second floor.

"It still doesn't feel right." I told her. I knew Faye had a different view on New Orleans voodoo history then I did. Most people here did. "Voodoo is dark magic. It doesn't belong in a school. That's all i'm saying."

"Don't tell Professor Aceves that." Faye huffed pulling me to a stop. "Look voodoo is part of our culture. Whether you like it or not. I'm glad Papa Mamba is here." She looped her arm through mine, "Come on. The sooner we get there the sooner it will be over." When we reached the classroom everyone stood outside the door. No one was willing to be first to walk in.

"No one's used this room in years." I heard Avalon tell her friend Natalie. "Not since Marie Laveau taught here."

The cathedral bell rang. We were suppose to be inside by now. Even those that were sticklers for the rules, probably never been late a day in their lives, weren't willing to go in. This is getting ridiculous. I'm pretty sure no one wanted to be here less then me. I walked up to the door and put my hand on the door knob. Before I could turn it the door slowly opened. Faye walked past me and into the room. "You have to see this." She said once inside.

I reluctantly followed her inside. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or freaked out by my surrounds. The room was dark with no source of natural light. The room was lit by series of candles and torches that hung on the walls. Diagrams of animals were drawn on the chalkboards. On the wall was a small wheel made of bones with feathers decorating the inside. On the tables were various books and statues dedicated to the different voodoo deities. One that stood out was a large book bound in black leather. Inscribed on the front was a language I didn't know, but the cover had multiple markings on it. As if they had been scratched in with a knife.

"The legend and teachings of Papa Legba." Faye read out loud. This just made me more wary. The story of Papa Legba was a common one in New Orleans. Often used to scare kids into going to bed on time. Papa Legba was believed to be the gatekeeper to the spirit world. Taking the dead to the final realm, even striking deals with those that were desperate enough. "Amazing. I thought the Ministry had all the copies burned after the Salem Acts." She picked up the large book and went to open it."

"They did." A smooth voice came from the front of the room. Papa Mamba stepped out from the shadows in a white suit, similar to the one he wore at dinner. "Or at least all, but that one."

"Faye, put it down." I whispered to my friend, who was still mesmerized by the leather book.

Papa Mamba shook his head, "It's fine. Let the child look if she pleases. We are here to learn." He stepped down from the small rise were his desk was so he was on even ground with us. "Welcome, students to Voodoo Understanding. It has been three hundred years since this class was taught here a Capet. I am delighted to be the one to revive this teaching. Please take your seats."

"Professor?" Someone asked from the back.

"No, not professor. I do not have a teaching degree, nor do I plan to get one. Simply call be Papa Mamba." He replied with a smile. Something in his smile reminded me of Aceves. He looked like he knew something we didn't, but that is always how Aceves looked.

"Come on. I want to sit upfront." Faye said pulling me toward the front of the room. I didn't share her enthusiasm. Once everyone was seated it was oddly silent. No one was at ease to talk. Everyone simply sat and waited for Papa Mamba to speak.

"You are all a quiet bunch? I highly doubt it." Mamba walked back up the steps and looked down at us. "I want you all to be comfortable while you are here. I want you to be willing to learn. Due to the Salem Acts I am not allowed to teach you any teachnics, but I can give you a better understanding of the form. We will go through the background first, and get more in depth as the year goes on." His black eyes looked over us, "Does anyone have any questions?"

* * *

Ainslee POV

I rounded the corner making my down the alley and onto Bourbon Street. My midsection still burned from Riley's spell, but I couldn't care less right now. I can't believe I lost. Got my ass kicked in front of half the people in my year. If Riley hadn't been getting lessons from Aceves I would have had her. I probably looked like a fool up there. In front of Dante and Lindsay no less. "Damn it!" I yelled kicked a random box out of my way.

"What did that box do to you?" A rough voice asked. I turned around, but saw no one. "Up here." I looked up to see Wyatt Viars sitting on the top of a stone archway in front of an alley way.

"What do you want, Viars? I'm not in the mood." I said trying to come off as intimidating.

"Obviously. You're never in the mood. What happened, Chavert? Lose a game of Monopoly?" He taunted biting into the apple in his hand. "It's fourth period, shouldn't you be in class?"

I rolled my eyes taking him in. Wyatt was muscular, not like Dante or Lex, more lean. Though, he did have the black hair. His was longer and straight. Not particularly good-looking, not like Dante and Lex or even Luke Harraway. "Shouldn't you? Oh, right. The bad boy. Too cool for school and what not."

"See, you finally understand me." He said sarcastically though his faced stayed the same. There were very few people I disliked more than Wyatt. He was overall useless to me and mostly a pain. He never showed up for a single class yet got better grades than me. After D.A.D. I did not need this. I can still see the look of concern and pity from Nick when he helped me up. I hate when you have that need to complain about your life to someone. Sadly the closest person to me right now hated me, and vice versa. He will have to do.

"I don't need this from you right now. I have too much to worry about already."

Wyatt scoffed, "Really? What problems with your roommates? With Francesco? Or do you have a new obsession?" He pushed himself off the arch and landed in front of me. "I hope you know Chavert. Most your problems are caused by_ you_."

The longer he talked the angrier I got. Were did he get off judging me! "You don't even know what happened. You have no business judging me when all you know is the gossip."

Wyatt looked at me as if considering his options. "Not that I care, but go ahead and share. I know you're dying to complain to someone. Go ahead, tell me what happened so I may judge you accordingly."

I took a deep breath. Was he even worth telling? I knew Wyatt didn't really care about what I was about to say, but right now I didn't care. He was right I needed to talk to someone. "Do you realise how hard it was for me when Lindsay started dating Dante? I've known Dante since we were nine and he never once cared about me. Then perfect Lindsay comes out of no where snaches him up. She wants him just because he was her type. She can't even tell you when his birthday is. Everyone was going on and on about them being the Capet power couple and she didn't even really like him! I finally got fed up with it. When Lindsay went back to Chicago for break I tried to get closer to him, but Riley kept getting in the way."

Wyatt cocked his head at me and pretended to be interested. Actually making a show of proving that he wasn't. "So how did _it _happen?"

I took a deep breath, "It was during the Validus pre-game party before the final match. Dante and Lex were both there and Lex helped sneak in the alcohol. Lindsay went missing with Riley and a few of the team members, so I hung out with Dante and Lex. One thing led to another and then Lex was pushing us together. To be honest I didn't mean to sleep with him. It just happened." I explained trying to defend myself.

Wyatt nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "You just happened to sleep with your bestfriend's boyfriend? She was gone all of what? A hour? And you're trying to defend it?"

I flipped him off. "I don't know why I tried. Screw you Viars." I said walking away from him and into the narrow. He was the definition of loner, he wouldn't understand. I trusted the truth to a idiot. Maybe it would have been better to let him think what he wanted. I walked around the corner and something caught my foot. Losing my balance I landed on the stone ground. "What the-" I turned back. What I saw took the breath out of me. My mind went blank. I was too shocked to move or even scream. When I finally got my voice back I tried to scream for help, but my voice was shaking. I backed up until my back hit the opposite alley wall.

Vaguely I heard the sound of boots running around the corner, "Chavert, what happened?" He stopped when he saw what I was looking at. The mangled body of Franklin Roberts, Gaudium Quidditch captain, laid only five feet from me.

* * *

Natalia POV

"I hope Ains is okay." Nick said to me as we walked through the door into Professor Hoang's class. I nodded in agreement. Ainslee should have known better than to take on Riley. Ainslee is a good dueler that is true, but Riley is one of Aceves favorite students. He's bound to have taught his dueling squad things you could only learn in the Auror Academy. Not to mention, Ainslee took a cheap shot. Hitting Riley in the face with a spell she was hoping would have stunned Riley. I can't say she didn't deserve Riley knocking her across the room for that.

As always walking through the door we were hit with the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon. The many burning incense around the room. Hoang claimed they help her think. The room was decorated with various patterns of jade green and imperial red, though not overdone. Tomes with various spells and charms were stacked on each desk. Though Ancient Chinese Studies was one of the more interesting world classes it had the most homework. A large drape hung from one of the walls with a nine-tailed kitsune stitched into the fabric.

Everyone knew that Professor Hoang was a Kitsune, no one was really sure how many tails she had. No one was brave enough to ask, not even Nick. According to the text we read on Kitsunes last year she is either a eight or nine-tail. Either way we were positive she had to be over a hundred years old to be able to take human form.

"Same. I'm worried about her. She never listens." I told him. As glad as I was to be back at Capet I could care less about being in class. Something about having someone monitor me all day was annoying. Nick liked to joke that my dislike for authority came mainly from my family's business. "I'm fed up with her. With all of them. Lindsay is being passive aggressive, Ainslee is acting like she did nothing wrong and it's making Riley mad so she instigates things."

"Women." Nicholas said simply shaking his head.

I smack his arm, "I take offense to that."

He grinned at me as we sat. "I didn't mean you, Nattie, but if the shoe fits..."

Hoang walked out of her office and surveyed the room. Her orange eyes looked us all over. "I see you have all made yourself comfortable with your friends. I hate to inform you all that you will be moving seats." The room groaned. "This is for your own good I assure you. Branch out, get to know new people. See the class from the other side of the room." Hoang said picking a piece of paper off her desk.

"Clara Oliver, you're with Gemma Huggins." The two girls looked at each other and waved slightly. Clara stood up and moved to were Gemma was sitting. "Nicholas, you are with Avalon Ross." I laughed when I heard Avalon give a quiet whining noise.

"Ava! I knew you missed me!" Nick joked moving over to her.

"Sure, Nick." Avalon said politely.

"Riley Kramer and Lex Adamas." Hoang called out next.

"Can you just fail me now?" Riley asked under her breath as Lex made his way to her. "Nattie, help me." Riley pleaded looking back at me. Luckily, Aceves repaired whatever damage Ainslee had done after the duel.

"You're on your own." I replied with a smile.

"Lindsay Crowe with Luke Harraway. Natalie Lewis and Mirren Caldeen. Rafael LeBlanc and Rhythm Progis. Ainslee Chavert with Wyatt Viars." Hoang looked up from her list noticing that neither of them were there. She made a quick note on the paper before continuing. "Dante Francesco and Faye Lavine. Natalia Assuro with Peter Longhorn." When she called my name I looked around. I saw Peter sitting near the back with his head slightly down.

I sighed. I picked up my bag and books and moved to the desk beside Peter. He kept his head down when I sat. I had seen Peter around Capet, but it was always at a distance. I'm pretty sure I've never said a word to the guy. Till now. "Hi, I'm Natalia."

"I know." He said his voice distance like he was focusing on something, barely hearing what I said. I fallowed his gaze and taking a deep breath when I saw what he was looking at: Lindsay. He wasn't flat out looking at her, more glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Probably, hoping no one would notice. I took a look a Peter. The first good look I've ever gotten on him. He wasn't naturally good looking. Good jawline and facial structure. Maybe Lindsay would go for someone like him, but I doubted it.

"Now that everyone is settled I want to review what we went over at the end of last year." Professor Hoang moved to the chalkboard. "Turn to page-" A loud bell rang through the class.

"Class just started." Natalie said confused.

Suddenly the voice of Headmaster Sauvage sounded in my head. I'm sure by the looks on everyone else's faces they were hearing him too, "All students are to report to the cathedral immediately. Faculty will meet in my office for an emergency meeting. Classes are canceled for today."

We all looked at Professor Hoang who looked distressed. "You heard him." She said in a dismissive tone.

* * *

**Hi! I know I'm late, I was waiting to take my exemption exams so I would have those out of the way. Luckily I passed half of them so a lot less stress during exam week. **

**We have a murder! Trust me it ties into everything, but I'm happy to hear everyone's early theories. Yes, the body was left out in the open, but there is a reason muggles couldn't have seen it. I will explain later. A few things. I'm doing look-a-likes for the characters and putting them in a blog for everyone to see. Basically all you have to do is find a picture of someone that resembles what you imagined your OC to look like. All I ask is that for female OCs don't give me a Victoria's Secret model. Try to find someone that could at least look the part of a 16 to 17 year old if they had to. If you're on pinterest and you find a picture up there that fits your needs send me a link and I will take a look, it doesn't have to be someone well-known.  
**

**Right now the blog is up with look-a-likes for the headmaster, the four heads of house, and the faction leaders. Update: The link has been fixed. Thank you to BellaRosa17 for letting me know.**

**A House Cup point chart will be kept on my profile so you guys can see who is a head. Remember your reviews decide who gets the two points. **

**Anyway please review and tell me what you think so far. Plot wise, character wise, I want it all. Also really sorry about how late this is. **


	5. Chapter 5

Natalia POV

Natalia stood up and followed the rest of the class out the door. It was painfully obvious something was wrong. Everyone was looking between friends with confused expressions. Whispering their worst fears of what could have happened. The first day back and classes are suddenly stopped? It made no sense. Natalia turned to see Professor Hoang disappearing down the hall toward the Headmasters office. Natalia's hand clenched at her side. Whatever had happened Headmaster Sauvage would tell the school an appropriate tale for the event, but would he give all the facts? She had learned from a young age people had a tendency to give the vague version of things. Leaving out the real information and this is why she had to know what had happened. Natalia didn't exactly trust authority figures to give all the facts. With that thought Natalia had made up her mind. She grabbed for Nicholas' hand and pulled him into a small alcove behind one of the statues.

"Nattie?" Nicholas' doe eyes looked at her curiously. His eye shape along with his light green hues always made Nicholas look way more innocent than he really was.

Natalia put her finger to her lips. In a motion for Nicholas to stay quiet. Nicholas seemed to understand what was going on and a mischievous smile took over. "I need to know what's going on. Are you thinking what i'm thinking?"

Nick chuckled his blue hair now partially covering his face, "Aren't I always?" He peaked out from the alcove making sure no one was in the hall. "So how do you want to do this?"

Natalia paused and cursed under her breath. Okay, maybe she didn't think that one through. When you have three of your professors have the natural ability to sense the presence of others it makes sneaking more than difficult. They couldn't get to close to Professor Roux or Professor Vouclain, both would be able to smell them. Hoang would sense them coming. "I don't know." She replied honestly, yet disappointed with her own lack of spontaneity.

With a sly smile Nick reached up and patted her head lightly. Natalia swatted his hand away. She always found it funny and annoying when he tried to do this. She was at least a inch taller than him. "Dear Nattie let me introduce you to the wonders of Norse charms." With that Nicholas pulled out his wand. He began to sway it back and forth saying something Natalia didn't understand. She never bothered with the Norse Understanding class. It wasn't her style and Professor Malikov was to bubbly for Natalia's taste. The woman's happy-go-lucky attitude left a bad taste in her mouth.

A light blue spell flowed from Nicholas' wand in a vine like shape. It surrounded both of them making Natalia feel slightly tingly. "What is that?" Natalia asked trying her best to back away from the spell.

"Cloaking charm. Professor Mahmoud hasn't shown us one strong enough to get past the nose or hearing of a werewolf, but this one might work." Might? Natalia shook her head. He was basing this on a _might_? Natalia rolled her eyes in annoyance. Normally, one look at her piercing eyes would cause people to do her bidding, but not Nicholas. He seemed oblivious to any form of intimidation. Maybe she would have been better off doing this alone.

"Have you actually tried it before?"

Nick nodded with a amused expression. "Of course how do you think I got into that police station back in New York?"

With a long pause "Why would _you_ want to get into a police station? Was it opposite day or something?" Natalia batted her eyes teasingly pushing her thin body up against Nicholas'. She knew he wouldn't notice or get turned on, but it was fun to mess with him

"It's a story for another time." Nick said quickly dismissing the subject and her mock flirting. Natalia knew Nick had been arrested before. He stole a car and crashed it into a bakery. No one was hurt- that he knew of- but still he was placed in juvie. With everything Natalia had witnessed her dad do once he took power in the family business she didn't have room to judge Nick. "Now come on we are wasting time."

The two moved quickly down the hallways. Careful for any patrolling professors. When they reached the headmaster's office they paused staring up at the looming wood doors. "Think he's put up a password for this year?" Natalia asked.

"Yeah, but we won't need it." He pointed up to the large stone ledge over the door that ran along. Just big enough for someone to stand on. Right above it was a air vent. "I'll give you a lift." He knelt down and cupped his hands. Natalia nodded placing her foot into his cupped hands. Reaching up there was a small gap between her hands and the ledge. Jumping very slightly she grabbed for the ledge and pulled herself up. Just as she steadied herself on the edge the door to the Headmaster's office flew open. Nick jumped behind the corner and flattened himself against the wall. Multiple professors walked out of the office and continued straight down the hall. Luckily none of them turned back to see Natalia standing above the doorway. Natalia noticed that Headmaster and neither the faction leaders or Heads of house were among them. Papa Mamba was the last of them to leave.

The man looked in deep thought as he exited the office. When he was halfway down the hall he stopped. Turning ever so slightly. Natalia knew he had seen her. His dark eyes gave her the quickest of glances. Natalia was frozen in place. She expected him to walk back and report her to the Headmaster, but he gave her amused look before turned and continuing down the hall. She didn't understand what had happened and didn't have the time to try to figure it out. Natalia straightened herself to look through the grate vent.

Inside she saw the Headmaster sitting behind his desk. His face red as he leaned back in his chair. Professor Roux was glaring at Professor Vouclain, her gold eyes looked as if she was ready to shift at any second. "I told you that he doesn't belong here." von Rothman said coming into view.

"Dimitra, you can't blame him for this." Sauvage said trying to calm his old friend. Sauvage pinched the bridge of his nose trying to remain calm.

Professor Hoang stood rigidly off to the side. Her porcelain face a void of all emotion, "Why not? He has been here no longer than a day and now a student is dead." Natalia couldn't conceal the gasp that came from me. When none of them turned she was thankful for Nick's charm. Someone was dead? Natalia hasn't seen Ainslee in hours. A realization came to her. _Please don't let it be Ainslee,_ Natalia thought quietly in her head. The cynical side getting the best of her as normal.

"Coincidences, Inari-" The headmaster started.

"Don't." The Kitsune commanded, her orange eyes glowed fiercely like a raging fire. "You promised those kids when Mamba walked through the door that you wouldn't put them in danger. That boy was seventeen. He deserved more than to be mangled like some animal." Natalia released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. It's not Ainslee.

"Which is why it was more than likely not voodoo." Professor Aceves said. Inari turned her gaze to him. He raised a hand in gesture for her to let him finish. "Voodoo is never this sloppy, we know that. If it had been Papa Mamba the kill would have been much cleaner. If anything it's a werewolf or vampire kill." Aceves said bluntly. He, like Hoang, showed no emotion at this subtle accusation. It had always been joked that Aceves had been chiseled from stone. Like the statue of a Greek god. At this moment with his face hard Natalia could believe it.

Both faction leaders turned to glare at the D.A.D. professor. "What are you implying, Victor?" Roux asked. Her voice dangerously low.

Professor Vouclain stood adjusting his black tie, "I think it implies maybe you should keep better watch on your pups."

"Enough." Professor Mahmoud said his normally soft british accent rigid. "We can't afford to fight amongst ourselves. The boy's family needs to be informed. He was from my house I will tell them." Mahmoud was a lot like the Headmaster. He always tried to be the voice of reason.

"The real question is what do we tell the students?" von Rothman asked. "They are all in the Cathedral waiting with no idea what's going on. How do we explain to them that a student was murdered not even a mile outside the wards?"

Natalia had heard enough at that point. "Nick, help me down." She whispered. Quickly she dropped down with Nick's assistance.

"So what did you find out? Does Aceves have a plot to kill me?" Nick joked, but quickly stopped when he saw the serious expression on Natalia's face. "What happened?"

Natalia grabbed his arm and pulled him around the corner. "Someone was murdered." Natalia said simply. She couldn't find the words to explain it further. Were there any? It was as simple as that murder. However, she knew Sauvage would find some way to sugar-coat it when he told the rest of the school.

"Uhuh, very funny. Now what happened?" It was easy for Nick to brush what she had just said off. Nicholas was never one to take things very seriously.

Natalia shook her head. Could he take anything seriously? Natalia's eyes turned hard, "Someone died, Nicholas. Right outside the school." Nicholas stopped and gave Natalia a long look. Rarely did Natalia ever use his full name, just like he almost never called her Natalia. Even with her tan skin Natalia seemed pale. If this had happened back in New York Natalia would have had a better grip on things. She was use to dealing with these types of 'problems' at home. With Mobsters as family things like this couldn't be avoided, but for it to happen at Capet, to someone she probably knew.

"Who?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know. A seventh year from Gaudium. I thought it was Ainslee. We haven't seen her since first period, I just wondered if..." Natalia said quietly reaching up and touching the small scar on her eyebrow. Soft footsteps came from down the hall causing Natalia to turn. A pale girl stood at the end of the hall staring at Natalia and Nicholas. Her dark brown hair was swept into a braid. Natalia couldn't get a good view of her eyes past the girl's glasses, but the girls facial expression changed to one of shock once she realized she had been seen. Natalia wanted to yell out for her but knew better than to chance one of the professors hearing her. The girl had no distinguishing features, she was rather plain to be honest. Someone who blended into the crowd. The only thing Natalia could really make out was the Sapientia fox on her blazer.

The girl turned and hurried quickly, yet quietly down the hall. "Who was that?" Natalia asked Nicholas.

"Seen her around. Never took the time to learn her name." Nicholas replied with a shrug. "The real question is what was she doing?"

* * *

Lindsay POV

"I'm telling you the Magpies have it this year. I'm not even sure if Puddlemore can make a comeback after their seeker broke three of his ribs last match." Paulon argued. He and Lindsay would always have these arguments. Puddlemore vs Magpies.

"Paulon, Puddlemore has won the World Cup three years in a row. The Magpies have not won in six years and have been picking at the bottom of the barrel for chasers. Their seeker seems almost blind and the beaters are a inch away from throwing bluggers at each other. I would agree more if you were rooting for the Ballycastle Bats then the Magpies." With that Lindsay confidently flipped her honey blonde hair over her shoulder. It didn't go unnoticed that Paulon stared at her slender neck as she did so. Normally guys would be shocked to hear Lindsay's quidditch knowledge, the amusing part was that she hasn't even gotten started. It was amusing to watch the shock on peoples faces when the blonde bombshell turned out to be a quidditch encyclopedia.

"As much as i'm loving this conversation, Linds, stop moving your shoulder." Riley said. Riley had her feet kicked up on the bench with her back pressed against Lindsay's side. Her head was thrown back against Lindsay's shoulder. If anyone else had tried that Lindsay would think they had lost their mind, but Riley had a calming presence to Lindsay.

"Kramer, no sleeping. We need to talk about tryouts for this year." Paulon changed the subject looking over to Riley giving her his best boyish smile. Riley always said that Paulon would have made a great girl. Paulon had a naturally pretty face. Smooth facial features, full lips, long dark lashes, but the fact he was easy on the eyes allowed him to keep the attention of the female population. During their first year Nicholas actually mistook him for a girl. Riley has never let him live that one down. The only thing stopping one of Riley's 'babyface' insults was the fact Paulon had allowed light stubble to grow. "Speaking of which, here comes the enemy now." Lindsay followed Paulon's line of sight to see three Animus kids walking toward the Validus table.

"De Pointier, I heard you were made captain this year. Lindsay, you're looking lovely as ever." Ricky Lakes flirtied. Flanking him was Luke Harraway and Faye Levine. Faye rolled her chocolate orbs at Ricky's comment. Everyone knew Faye wasn't exactly fond of Lindsay. Something about Lindsay dumping Faye's cousin for Dante last year.

"Lakes, I heard you didn't." Paulon said with a sly smile. Lindsay laughed and wrapped her arms around Paulon's shoulders, smiling up at Ricky. Ricky did seem a little surprised at her action. Paulon and Ricky were the definition of frenemies. They enjoyed talking and hanging out, but also took pleasure in outdoing the other. Least to say Lindsay enjoyed rilling Ricky up by hanging off of Paulon. With the first quidditch game of the season coming close it was fun to psych out the enemy. Ricky laughed stiffly. "Faye, nice job making co-captain. It will be nice seeing more of you on the field.", Paulon winked at the brunette.

"It's not like she didn't kick your ass enough last year." Riley commented. Riley turned her attention to the tall blonde standing behind Lakes, "Luke, Aceves called a meeting for tonight he wants everyone there." While Riley filled him in on the D.A.D meeting Lindsay unwrapped her arms from Paulon and took a moment to take him in. His hair was messy and unkempt covering part of his amber eyes. His build was lean, similar to Paulon's. He had a very golden appearance to him, lion like almost.

"Luke, are you trying out for Quidditch this year?" Lindsay asked as she bit at her bottom lip softly. A gesture that had the power to turn nearly every male that saw it into putty, some girls too.

Luke gave a boyish smirk. One that Paulon tried far too often to pull off, but it didn't have the same effect. Riley cut in before he could answer, "Nope. Golden Boy here is afraid of heights." Luke glared lightly at her.

"So are you." Paulon said with a matter-a-fact tone.

With a shrug Riley replied, "At least I knew that before I tried out for the Quidditch team." Like Lindsay, Riley was a big quidditch fan. Even Lindsay didn't suspect her friend's fear of heights until their second year when Lindsay asked Riley to try out for the team with her. Instead Riley settled for commentary during the matches. With Riley's blunt attitude and temper it was a job that often got her in trouble. Apparently it's distracting to have the commentator making wisecracks at the players and questioning their intelligence the entire match. However, the Headmaster finds it strangely amusing so he doesn't try to take the position away from her.

Luke turned his attention back to Lindsay. "No, but I will be watching." He winked confidently. Out of the corner of Lindsay's eye she could see Faye rolling her eyes before grabbing Luke's arm and pulling him back toward the Animus table.

Ricky and Paulon shared a dumbfounded look. "See if we did that she wouldn't look twice at us." Ricky told him.

Paulon nodded with mock sadness. "It's a cruel world, the blondes get it all." With that Ricky followed his friends away from the Validus table. Lindsay watched as Faye forcefully sat Luke down. The brunette started making harsh arm motions and it was clear she wasn't happy.

Lindsay nudged Riley lightly, "What do you know about him?" Since they were both part of Aceves' dueling club they had to have spent plenty of time together.

Riley gave Lindsay her signature sly smile, "What do you want to know?"

Lindsay smiled mischievously and darted her eyes over to him once more. She and Luke made brief eye contact before she turned back to Riley, "Everything."

* * *

Dante POV

"I'm telling you she was hot. Tall, nice body, the whole package. I didn't realise till half-way through the night she was a bloody vamp." Lex complained to the Quidditch team. Dante laughed at his friend's expense. If there was one thing Lex and Dante shared was they weren't fond of the New Orleans factions. Both had been raised to know that the wizarding race would always be superior to the creatures. Of course with the Francesco family background the teachings were more prominent in Dante.

"That sucks, man. Literally, hows the neck?" Dante said dryly grabbing Lex's head and twisting it from side-to-side to look at his neck.

Lex slapped Dante away and glared. "Yeah, laugh it up asshole. At least I'm not the one on a two month dry spell." Lex jabbed.

"Lex we've been friends for a while now. Don't make me knock that arrogant look of your face. I don't think the ladies will like you much anymore without your pretty face." Dante responded bitterly. Lex raised his hands in defense, but the egotistic smile didn't leave his face. Lex knew Dante could take him in a fight. That much was a fact. The quidditch team looked on and laughed at the twos exchange, but didn't get in the middle of it. These were two of the most intimidating guys at Capet. Sure they joked around with each other, but no one was really confident enough to try their luck with the two of them. Dante was everything Sapientia was expected to be. No-nonsense, good student, and a stickler for the rules. Though, there was something about being friend's with Lex that lowered his maturity level. Only slightly.

Dante brushed Lex off and looked throughout the hall. Still no one had shown up to explain what was going on. All Dante could do was hope it wasn't something crazy. After speaking with his father he knew Capet was on thin ice with the Francesco patriarch. If it wasn't for Dante's mother Dante might not have even attended Capet this year. While he was looking around the room something caught his eye. Standing in front of the Validus table was Luke, Ricky Lakes, and Luke's friend. Dante was about to look away when he saw the way Lindsay looked up at Luke. Her chin was supported by her delicate hand as she bit at her lip in deep thought. Dante would never forget that look. It was the same one she gave him before they started dating.

Dante's knuckles began to turn white as he gripped the side of the table. He wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that Lindsay might actually be interested in the muggleborn Luke Harraway or that he was feeling possessive over his ex. "What's wrong with you?" Lex asked quietly as the quidditch team went off on their own loud conversation. Lex looked over to the Validus table and nodded. Lex saw Luke wink at Lindsay before being pulled away by a small brunette. When Lex felt Dante begin to rise beside him Lex quickly reached up and placed a hand on Dante's shoulder. "Not worth it." He told his more temperamental friend.

Dante didn't break his gaze as he watched Lindsay and Riley talk while they glanced over at the Animus table often. Suddenly the door flew open and the Headmaster entered quickly followed by the Heads of House and faction leaders, but what surprised him was Ainslee and Wyatt Viars following them in. Ainslee's normally tanned skin was green and her chocolate eyes were lifeless and she seemed to be shaking. Professor Hoang stood behind her with a comforting hand on Ainslee's shoulder. Wyatt looked distraught, but he held himself together better than Ainslee.

Once all the teachers were standing at the front of the hall there was a long pause. Headmaster Sauvage's eyes were cold and hard. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have pulled you from your classes. I stand here and in the first time in my twenty years as headmaster... not sure what to say." Sauvage paused his hand roaming up to stroke his chin. "When I took this post I took a oath to protect every soul that steps a foot in this academy, and I feel like I have failed." By now the tensions had risen ten-fold. Everyone looked on in fear and anxiety. Dante leaned in, completely unsure of how to feel about what was going on. "This morning a body was found just outside Bourbon street. The body was found in quite a barbaric state, coated with illusion magic to keep it from muggles. This body was later identified as Franklin Roberts."

The cathedral erupted into a onslaught of emotions. There were screams from the Gaudium table some in pain and sadness, others in confusion and anger. Further down the Sapientia table, Clara Oliver was sobbing into her hands. Some people just looked down, unable to bring themselves to do anything but breath. A strangled scream came from the Gaudium table as the Gaudium keeper, Natalie, broke down in her friend's arms. Even if a student didn't know Franklin personally they knew him through quidditch. He was a great seeker and quidditch players from all other houses felt as if they also knew the him well. Dante's fist was pressed against his mouth, eyes closed. At his point he couldn't even care what his father was going to say. Somewhere in the back of his mind his instincts nagged at him. He knew a were or vamp had something to do with this. Nearly all wizards that lived in New Orleans were aligned with Capet. They would never do something to injure a student.

"Professor Mahmoud has gone to meet Mr. Roberts' family and send him them personal regards from the school. The Mayor, Ministry, and your guardians have all been notified. I will tell you know. The killer is still anonymous, until he is caught Capet will be under strict curfew. This includes day visits into the city. I don't want any of you to worry for your safety. I can assure you this will not happen again. Now I want this to be a time of mourning and remembrance. We all knew Mr. Roberts as a true and honest young man, a lively quidditch player, and a loyal friend. He would want that to be how you always remember him. His quidditch number will be retired and his jersey hung in the trophy room." Sauvage looked down, "I want you all to know that even though this is a trying time you can come to me. To us." He motioned to the other teachers. "If you ever feel the need to talk or get things out of the way our offices are open. Thank you all for your time. I will leave you to your thoughts and give you all time to speak with your guardians."

With that Professor Sauvage lead Ainslee and Wyatt away. The factions leaders went their own way, while several professors dispersed amongst the crowds of students comforting who they could. Lex clapped a hand on my shoulder, but said nothing. This was the first time in six years Dante has seen Lex speechless. "I'll be hearing from my father in less than a hour." Dante estimated.

* * *

Tallulah POV

Tallulah rounded the corner quickly as she tried to avoid running into any patrolling professors. She couldn't escape the feeling of anxiety knowing the two Validus students saw her. Even if they made assumptions on what she was doing it's not like they could prove anything. Tallulah felt a sense of comfort as she made it to the library doors: her safe haven. She slowly opened the large door and slid inside. She wasn't sure if Professor Cooper was at her desk and didn't feel like wasting time to check she would find out soon enough.

Weaving her way through the maze of massive bookcases. Over the past six years Tallulah has mapped out every inch of Capet's extensive three story library. When she reached the opposite end of the library she made her way up the small staircase to the second floor and stopped at the ladder that went up to the third story. The second story was a wrap around so that people on the first floor could see what was going happening on the second floor. This also made it easy for Professor Cooper to see if anyone was trying to make their way up the ladder to the third floor. Where the restricted section was kept. Looking over the balcony Tallulah saw that Professor Cooper was indeed not at her desk.

Adjusting her glasses, Tallulah began her climb up the ladder. She had been up there before, but with Professor Cooper. As head of the book club at Capet she had built a person relationship with Professor Cooper. Once she was up the ladder she walked through the lonely black door at the top and entered. The room was dark and nearly bare besides the large iron gate. On the other side was three bookshelves stocked full of books that the Ministry had considered unethical for students. Considering how laidback the American Ministry was these books were few and far inbetween, but normally there was a very good reason why they were locked up.

The lock was magic and could only be opened by a password, one that Tallulah knew. Professor Cooper had always trusted Tallulah because Tallulah gave her every reason to. Tallulah respected Cooper, the library and it's contents. "_Admonitio_" with that the large gate creaked open for Tallulah.

She scanned the bookcases quickly, already knowing what she was looking for. At first Tallulah had a different plan to get the book, but with Sauvage calling everyone away from their classes and offices Tallulah made the quick decision to abandon her plan for this open opportunity. She sighed happily as she saw what she was looking for. Carefully plucking it off the shelf she noticed something fall from the shelf onto the floor.

Looking down Tallulah cocked her head at the sight of a lone tarrot card laying on the floor. She picked it up and turned it to see it's face side. The High Priestess. Tallulah didn't know much about tarrot to be honest. It wasn't her focus or forte. Confused she stuck the card between the books pages and made her way out of the room, wanting to get out of there before Professor Cooper returned.

* * *

Avalon POV

Natalie gripped the back of Avalon's shirt as she cried into the girl's shoulder. "I can't believe he's gone." Natalie sobbed. Avalon rubbed comforting circles into Natalie's back. Natalie and Franklin had grown close after Natalie's breakup with Lex. In fact Avalon and Rune had made a bet that this would be the year Franklin asked Natalie out. Rune sat on the other side of Avalon not sure what to say to comfort his friends. He tried to be the strong one, but in the end it was always Avalon. Avalon felt just as shocked and saddened as everyone else, but she wouldn't both Natalie with her problems. She needed to be there for her friend. As always it was Avalon that had to be the sensible one.

"It's okay, Nat. Come on." Avalon lightly pushed Natalie away and held her at arms length. Natalie's eyes were red and hazy from nearly two hours of crying, while Avalon's own hazel eyes were dry as the desert. Natalie shook her head and pushed Avalon away.

"No it's not! Franklin is dead and your acting so calm about it!" Natalie yelled causing their surrounding classmates to look at the scene.

Avalon was taken aback by this. Natalie has always been sweet and kind, she's never lashed out. Excpecally not at Avalon. Though, Avalon couldn't say she blaimed her. Natalie had just lost someone she cared about. She had a right to be angry and unset. "I have to be calm because you aren't. I just want to make sure you are going to be okay." Avalon said truthfully.

Natalie stared at her friend for a long moment before nodded. Her tense shoulders relaxed and she sat herself back down beside Avalon. "I know and I'm sorry." She apologized threading her fingers through her caramel colored hair. "Professor Sauvage said Mahmoud wants me to be captain now. I always wanted to be captain, but after Franklin graduated." Natalie said sadly. "This is all his fault."

Avalon and Rune gave her a confused look, "Who's fault?" Rune asked her.

"Papa Mamba." Natalie said simply. "This would have never happened if he wasn't here."

Rune took a deep breath and reached to place a hand on Natalie's arm. "You don't know that. You heard Sauvage. They don't know who killed Franklin." Rune tried to reason only to have Natalie brush him off.

"Oh, please. It's not like I'm the only one thinking it!" Natalie argued. "Everyone thinks it's him. He appears out of no where and a day later Franklin is dead. If Sauvage doesn't get rid of him it's going to happen again. " Even Avalon had to agree to that. She had gotten a bad vibe from Papa Mamba when he walked into the cathedral, but for some reason she couldn't explain it. He seemed honest and straight-forward when she had his class that morning. Being the daughter of a cop in a city like New Orleans helped develop a talent for reading people and Avalon's instincts were rarely wrong. Natalie knew this as well. That was one of the reasons Avalon didn't share her fears about Papa Mamba, she didn't want to upset her shaken friend any further. She pushed a few stray coffee colored strands of hair out of her eyes. All they could do really was hope who ever did this was found quickly.

* * *

Luke POV

"Where are you going?" Faye asked as Luke began to make his way to the door. They had returned to the Animus dorm not long after the news of Franklin's murder was given. The Animus dorm was far from lively after the news. Were students would be crowded around the main room socializing there were only a few sitting by the fire. Everyone else was up in their rooms trying to gather their thoughts. Faye had been cold to Luke since they got back. Giving him short answers to everything and refusing to talk to him. The constant silence was beginning to get to Luke. It was odd, though understandable, and all it did was make things seem more real.

"Oh, so now you care what I'm doing?" Luke said sarcastically over his shoulder as he walked out the door. He felt some sense of satisfaction as the door closed before Faye could respond. It had been meant for dramatic effect and it felt good to get the last word. That was until he heard the door open and turned to see Faye walking toward him.

Her dark eyes looked up at him, hands positioned on her waist. "A girl likes to know when her best guy friend is going to visit her arch-nemesis."

Luke turned back to her. He wasn't sure what she meant all he knew was she was over reacting whatever it was. He didn't even know Faye had a 'arch-nemesis'. "I don't know what your talking about, but I have to go. Aceves wants everyone in the D.A.D room for a meeting."

Luke could see realization in Faye's eyes as her stance became a less offensive one. "Right, I forgot about that." She said quietly under her breath. Her cheeks began to turn red in what Luke recognized as Faye's embarrassed expression. "Sorry?" Faye offered not looking at him. Obviously trying to hide her embarrassment.

"What did you think I was doing?" Faye wasn't one to jump to conclusions. Of course she has called Luke out on many things. His brash and impulsive attitude is what normally let to fights between the two bestfriends. Whenever Luke did something stupid it was always Faye that had to get him out of it.

Faye rubbed the back of her neck slowly, "Don't worry about it. Just be careful." Faye said walking back into the dorm. Luke wanted to go after her, but he was already late. He had all night to talk to Faye, Aceves on the other hand wasn't as patient.

* * *

Peter POV

Peter was about to follow the crowd into the Sapientia dorm when he heard the familiar clack of size 6 heels. He turned to see a blonde walking toward him. Her platinum hair was in a high-ponytail that swung back and forth with each step. As always she was in a tight pencil skirt and low cut blouse, her signature ray-bands covering her blood-red eyes. "Peter." Isabel said with a smile showing off her pearly white fangs. The boys in the room stopped dead in their tracks to look at this towering blonde beauty that had surprised them all by looping her arm through Peter's. "Walk with me we need to talk."

"Hi, to you too Aunt Isobel." Peter replied not fazed by the gorgeous women. Peter looked down slightly trying to avoid the mix of confusion and envy. While many men would have taken pride in the looks of envy, they only made Peter feel more awkward. "Why are you here?" Peter asked once they were far enough down the hall.

Isabel gave him a pout. She looked around making sure no one would over hear "That hurts, Pete. Your father wanted me to bring you this and Lord Marcus called me." Isabel reached into her shirt and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. Peter nodded and hesitantly took the paper, quickly shoving it into his pocket. At least Isabel had been somewhat discrete. She knew Peter didn't want anyone to know about his father. If it got out his father was a vampire and personal friend of Lord Vouclain he didn't know what would happen to him. No doubt it wouldn't go over well with Sapientia's top dogs Dante and Lex.

"Ah, Peter. It's good to see you." Lord Vouclain's voice chimed in from behind him. As a reflex he joined Isabel in a slight bow out of respect for the elder vampire. "Isabel, my child. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Peter slowly backed away, "I will leave you both to your business." He said attempting to walk away.

"Nonsense, my boy. I have something to discuss with you anyway. This won't take, but just a minute." Lord Vouclain said stopping Peter. He turned his attention to Isabel and lifted his hand out toward her. In his hand was a grey and black jacket.

Isabel raised a brow, "Please don't tell me you want me to wear_ that." _She said in disgust taking the jacket from him.

Lord Vouclain rolled his crimson orbs at his progeny's childishness. "It belonged to the boy. You will need his scent." Peter's eye flew back to the jacket. It was Franklin's? "Go back to the manner and put it on lockdown. Search every room whether it belongs to a noble or fledgling. If you find anything resembling this scent bring it to me immediately." Vouclain ordered. Isabel knowing that she had been dismissed was quick to leave.

Peter watched her go with the jacket hanging in her hand. "Do you think on of the coven did it? Murdered Franklin?" Peter asked quietly. He wasn't sure if it was his place to even question the old vampire.

"I do not know to be honest." Lord Vouclain said putting a hand on Peter's shoulder and leading him down the hall, "But I can assure you if it was the consequences will be lethal." He said in almost a growl.

* * *

Nicholas POV

"Didn't see you in the cathedral." Paulon stated from his bed. "Did you already know?"

Nicholas threw himself onto his bed, "I heard something about it." He replied trying to drown out the sound of Rafael singing in the shower. He wasn't about to tell Paulon that he and Natalia had eavesdropped on the professors' conversation beforehand. For some reason he knew Paulon would find out at some point.

"It's messed up isn't it?" Paulon said, "Franklin was a good guy, great keeper. He didn't deserve that."

Nicholas raised up to look at his friend. "Did you hear anything? Like gossip or something." Paulon was the master of secrets at Capet. If someone had some deep secret they thought was safe Paulon would find a way to get it. He knew everything about everyone. Nicholas couldn't stop himself from letting out a laugh. The Gretchen Wieners of Capet. Once he was done laughing at his own private joke he cursed Natalia for making him watch Mean Girls with her.

Paulon shrugged, "Just he-say-she-say. Nothing that would be true or of interested. Nick, man, cheer up. It's making it worse seeing _you_ like this." Paulon motioned to Nicholas' sluggish form. "Tell me about Miss Gaudium Prefect you've been eyeing." Paulon said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Nicholas glared at him. "Is there anything you don't know?" He didn't deny it. He knew better than to try that with Paulon. He has had his eye on Avalon for a while now. She was intresting. Not like any of the girls he kept around or slept with. Plus there was something about her smooth caramel skin and gleaming hazel eyes that just did something for him.

"Sure, but I do know quite a lot. Even some things you wouldn't want to get out." Nicholas shot up already knowing what Paulon was talking about.

"You haven't told anyone have you?" Nicholas asked slowly, almost seeming concerned. He had been through too much today to deal with Paulon pulling his leg about something like this.

Paulon sat on the side of his own bed, "Do you think you'd be laying there if I did. Lindsay and Riley would have killed you by now, not to mention Francesco. I do have to say you have balls, brother. Not many people would have tried that type of prank the night before a quidditch match." Paulon saw the relieved looked almost proud of himself for being about to get to his friend like that. "I wouldn't do that to you. You know that."

Nicholas barely remembered that night. The night right before the final quidditch match between Animus and Validus. "You know too much." Nicholas complained.

* * *

**Hello, everyone! I just want to start off saying I'm really sorry I'm late! I finally finished exams monday and had a fall out with a new Beta. As you can see this chapter was written in third-person instead of the first-person I was using before. This is because third is more my style and what I'm comfortable with so I decided to write this chapter in third and with some help it turned alright. I think I may keep going into third, unless you guys think first is better. Anyway thank you all for leaving honest reviews, it's really helped me see what I need to continue working on. **

**The points have been changed again with Validus leading with 2 points, Animus and Sapientia with 1, and Gaudium with 0. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. The blog has been updated with all the students but five. I will message the authors once I'm done here so I can have the full cast list. Is it sad I only seem to be able to write while listening to songs that were featured on the CW show The Originals? Anyway don't forget to review, not only about your character! Also thoughts on the murder, some people have given me guesses and they are all quite interesting. And we will have a quidditch match soon! I really can't wait to write that. For those of you that don't know, this story was nominated for Rookie of the Year for Golden Pen so if you're contacted or have been just be honest! If you have any concerns you can always PM me. So read, review, and enjoy.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Note this is kinda of a filler chapter because I needed the final word count to finish off my qualification for the nomination for this story. So there are only three POVs. I'm sorry if I didn't get to your character in this chapter, but I promise they will have their chance.**

* * *

Faye POV

Faye took a deep breath as she laid her head on her arm. While one hand picked on the scratches in the bar, the other nursed a mug of coffee. She was thankful the weekend had finally come, but was it really any different than being in class? She and Luke haven't really spoken for four days. Short pleasantries were given, but nothing else. It was odd to be so disconnected from someone she considered her best friend, however she wasn't sure what to say to him. He had been fawning over Lindsay Crowe all week. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but in the past six years Faye has never seen him actually chase a girl. For the past three days he has made a point of walking her to class and showing up at the Validus dorm in the mornings to go to breakfast with her. With all his attention focused on Lindsay, Faye finally had some time to think. Which was a bad thing; because now every time she was close to Luke now she wanted to tell him how she felt. Like one of those sappy rom-coms with Katherine Heigl.

Faye raised her head off the table and took a sip from her coffee. "Are you ready to tell me what happened?" Calion asked as she came behind the bar. Calion shrugged of her leather jacket revealing pale, scarred skin. Faye looked at the scars sadly. Faye knew Calion's rise to packmaster had been no easy task. Calion would never share the details of what had went down. All Faye knew was that it was a bloody affair, a near civil war had been started in the New Orleans pack.

Faye was use to Calion mothering her. Ever since her older sister, Cerise, had joined the pack it has been Calion that has been there for the two of them. Calion has vouched for Faye and Cerise more times than either of them can count. Acting more of a mother than theirs ever did.

"I think I know the reason." Cerise said sliding between the patrons and wrapped an arm around her younger sister. She gave Calion a nod of respect before taking a seat at the bar ordering a coffee.

"Have you heard from mom?" Faye asked Cerise. She already knew the answer; their mother was always out on business. Most the time for the Vatican. _Her work is important_, Cerise would always say when trying to explain to a younger Faye why their mother was never around. Their mother's work as a demonologist took her all over the world. Faye couldn't actually think of the last time she saw her mother, it had always been her and Cerise with Professor von Rothman and Calion helping where they could.

With a sullen expression Cerise shook her head. "Nope. She's still out on business for the Vatican. Apparently studying some blood magic cult in Egypt is more important than making sure her damn daughters are still alive." Cerise ordered a bloody mary before turning her body toward Faye. "Mom has been MIA for the past eight years. I know that isn't what's bothering you." Cerise looking into Faye's eyes with a searching stare. "Really, how are you? I haven't seen you all week."

Faye crossed her legs and sat up, though she was still slouching. She watched as Calion moved away from them to take one of the customers orders. "Fine, I guess. No one really knows what to do now. Things are finally getting back to normal at school, but it seems like most of the professors are looking over their shoulders." Faye raised her mug to her lips and then moaned in annoyance when she realized it was empty. "Luke is keeping himself busy." She said in distaste.

"I didn't ask about them. I asked about you." said Cerise as she refilled her sisters mug.

Faye really didn't know what to tell her sister. She wasn't really affected by what had happened. She hadn't known Franklin outside of quidditch. If anything, right now she was just scared. "I don't know. I want to say i'm okay, but I'm not. I'm scared. A lot of people are even if they don't want to admit it. Not to mention I've basically been alone all week." Faye admitted.

"You know I will never let anything happen to you. Right?" Cerise asked seriously.

Faye looked into her sister's dark eyes and saw herself looking back. When she looked at Cerise it felt as if she was looking into a mirror some times. "Yeah, I know." Faye replied quietly as Cerise pulled her into a hug.

Cerise smiled and pushed back a strand of Faye's hair. "You're never alone. Now tell me, what happened between you and Luke?" Her voice was low. Even though Faye didn't explain why she felt alone, Cerise had a good hunch it had to do with Luke. Cerise was never a big fan of Luke. She didn't mind him at first, but as she noticed Faye's feelings begin to grow for him, he didn't. Least to say, Cerise began to get annoyed by the blonde's oblivious attitude.

"Nothing." Faye answered simply. From the scowl on Cerise's face she knew her sister wasn't satisfied with her short answer. "To be honest I don't know why I'm mad. I don't have the right to be." It was true. She and Luke were never together. Nor had they expressed any wish to be together; at least he never did. She was simply the bestfriend. "It's not any of my business what he does or who he spends his time with."

The bleak and slightly jealous look on her face gave her away. "So it's a girl." Cerise said. "Who is she?" Cerise raised her hand slighly in a motion for Calion to give them some space when she saw her packmaster returning. The werewolf took one look at the sisters' expressions and nodded.

"Lindsay Crowe." Faye sighed. Cerise recognized the name. Crowe had dated their younger cousin for a short time, but nothing came out of it. "She's everything you would expect someone like Luke to be with. Blonde, hot, rich. They are going on their first date today. He asked her out right in front of me and her ex." She couldn't help herself. The more she talked about the two of them, the more she felt like she was talking herself down. Crowe was what most considered the idea of female perfection. "When did my life turn into a Taylor Swift song?"

"Now come on. Not all her songs are bad." Cerise said playfully. Willing to try anything to raise her sister's spirits, seeing as going and smacking some sense into Luke like she wanted to do probably would not help the situation. She rubbed her sisters arm gently. "I think you should tell him how you feel."

Faye shook her head quickly. "No. The last thing I want to do is ruin my friendship over some stupid crush."

Cerise pushed her hair out of her face. "Your feelings aren't stupid, cher. You should tell him how you feel before your friendship isn't the only thing to ruin." Cerise advised.

Natalia POV

"You need to eat something." Natalia said as she patted Ainslee on the back. Ainslee hadn't slept in their dorm all week. She had been sleeping in a private room above the cathedral. When she finally showed up at the Validus dorm Saturday morning Natalia threw questions at her left and right. Throwing out every vulgar word she could think of whether in English or Italian. She demanded to know where Ainslee had been. After she and Nicholas overheard someone had been killed Natalia feared the worst. However, Natalia quickly calmed herself when she heard Natalia's explanation. Her anger had subsided to a dull annoyance, even though she didn't have the right to feel that way. When Ainslee had told her it was her that had found the body of Franklin she wasn't sure how to react.

Ainslee shook her head and pushed the plate away from her. She hasn't acted like herself since it happened. Ainslee confided to Natalia that she couldn't close her eyes without seeing his broken and twisted body. The bags under her icy blue eyes showed just how sleep deprived she was. "I can't hold it down. Maybe I should just go back and get some more sleep." Ainslee said staring off into nothing, "It's Saturday. You should be out there with everyone else not in here taking care of me." Ainslee tried to smile reassuringly, but Natalia could see how forced it was.

It worried her to see Ainslee this way. To see someone that normally beamed with confidence so beaten and tired. Natalia looked her in the eyes, "I'll go see if Nurse Irene has a sleeping draught and then I'll head out." She pulled at a strand of Ainslee's hair as it hung in a messy ponytail. With that Natalia stood from the bench and instructed Ainslee to head up to the dorms and that she would meet her soon.

Natalia kept her head up as she walked taking in the different people that passed. One of Animus quidditch players winked at her as she passed. She was never one to stay in on a weekend. By now she, Nick, and Ains would be at the movies or the lake. Anywhere, but inside Capet. She turned into the hallway passing the library and a girl rounded the opposite corner the same time she did. She recognized the girl that she and Nicholas had caught lurking around the hallways that horrible day. Her mousey brown hair was still in the same double braids and her wide rimmed glasses shielded her eyes. Apparently she recognized Natalia as well because she made a beeline for the library.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Natalia called after her jogging to catch door before it shut. She entered the library and looked around for the Sapientia girl. Capet's library was a labyrinth. It would take one years of practice to learn how to navigate the three story room, practice Natalia didn't have. She caught a single flicker of the girls feet disappearing around one of the book cases. Quick to follow Natalia felt another body slam into hers as she raced around the book case.

The force caused both her and the other person to fall to the ground the sound of books falling around them. Natalia's hip pulsed in pain as she slid slightly on the floor. She hissed in pain as something stabbed into her hand. Raising her palm she saw that she had landed on a pair of glasses and that the crushed glass was now stuck in her palm. Small scraps covered her palm as blood began to form in beads. Looking in front of her she saw a disheveled Peter Longhorn sitting on the floor searching frantically for what was most likely the crushed glasses. Even though he was her partner in Hoang's class he rarely said anything to her. He was always so nervous and she hardly even saw his face as he paid so much attention to his work. Hell, he rarely had eye contact. In fact this was the first real chance she has had to get a look at his face.

This was her first good look at him. To be honest she was surprised at what she saw. She had expected his introverted personality to show in his appearance, she was happily wrong. Where she believed she would find a pale, acne covered face she found smooth skin and a strong jaw-line. His hair was shaggy and unkempt, but it did it's job at covering his face as it shielded his eyes from her. Luckily, the roughness of their landing had tossed his hair just enough to uncover his eyes. They were a warm brown that currently shown with confusion and shock. Secretly, she was slightly glad she had landed on his glasses as there was now nothing obstructing her view of him.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Natalia asked pulling herself to her feet. He looked up and scrambled to his feet just realizing who was there.

Natalia took notice of the red blush that crept up his neck. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered or ignore it. He didn't seem to have any experience around girls. She was pretty sure any female could have ran into him and he would have blushed. "Sorry, about that-" He muttered shyly as he surprisingly kept eye contact.

Natalia cut him off "Don't, I did that. I should be sorry about this." She said raising his broken glasses up. She handed them to him and began to think. She honestly didn't know why she was being to kind to him. Normally, she would have brushed the situation off. Say her apologies and went about her business. Maybe it was his reserved attitude that made her feel slightly worse for obviously causing him to become so flustered. That and she broke his glasses. Judging by the way he blinked frantically and looked around he really needed them.

He took the glasses from her and placed them on his head. Blinking as he tried to see. It was cute and pitiful at the same time. He was able to see her bleeding hand however. "Oh no, I'm so sorry about that." He grabbed at her hand examining it.

"I've had worse, I was on my way to the nurse anyway. Talk about coincidences." Suddenly Natalia remembered why she had come in there. She looked around then shook her head. The girl was long gone by now. "She might be able to fix your glasses as well. Come on. We can walk there together." She pulled herself up and offered her hand to him which his hesitantly took. She turned and began to walk in the other direction.

"Uhmm, Natalia?" Peter called her back. She turned back to see him pointing in the opposite direction. "The door is that way." It was now Natalia's turn to be embarrassed. Though she had enough practice not to show it. She kept her head up as she walked pass him again, this time in the proper direction. "I'm guessing you don't come in here often." Peter said.

"What gave me away?" Natalia asked sarcastically.

Peter shrugged, "Well, the door was only around the corner and you went in the opposite direction. What were you running in here for?" He asked. The way he said it was insinuating that it was a library, no place for running. He was being slightly straight forward now. That's a plus, Natalia thought. However, quickly after saying it he looked as if he wanted to apologize for asking.

"I'm a rebel." She smirked playfully as she leaned slightly forward. He leaned away quickly, red hot blush covering his face once again. He stammered slightly. She didn't mean to make him so uncomfortable. It seemed she has found someone that her flirtatious personality isn't everyone's cup of tea. She quickly changed the subject. "I was looking for someone when I came in. I think you might know her. Long, double braids. Wide rimmed glasses. Sapientia."

"Tallulah Eldridge." Peter said simply as they continued to walk. "Why were you looking for her?"

Natalia held up her bleeding hand and examined it. "She promised to help me in transfiguration this year." Natalia lied smoothly. "Professor Montague has it out for Lindsay and me."

Peter crossed his arms and looked down slightly. "Lindsay Crowe?" He asked. When the reached the door to the infirmary they stopped. Peter's feet shuffled awkwardly. From their first day in Hoang's class Natalia noticed that Peter was staring at Lindsay. He was clearly infatuated by the blonde, Natalia just wasn't sure by how much.

"You like Lindsay?" Natalia asked with a smirk. She has found his weakness.

He rubbed his arms awkwardly. "She's pretty, but I don't know her." He said shyly. He quickly looked up at her taking in her expression. "I'm not saying your not pretty. You are." He stammered quickly trying to right a wrong he hadn't committed.

She placed her non-bleeding hand on his shoulder. "Peter, calm down. I know what you meant." She looked at him for a moment and thought. He is introverted, but in a cute way. With a little help there is no reason Peter couldn't have any girl he wanted. Would he even be open to her help? "Hey, Peter what do you saw to a partnership?"

Peter looked sceptical, "What kind of partnership?"

Natalia linked her arm through his causing him to blush. "If this is going to work, you're going to have to get use to this." She said pulling him forward toward Nurse Irene. "We will talk details later."

Luke POV

Luke rubbed his now throbbing shoulder. He knew he was going to have a massive bruise come tomorrow. He expected this kind of beating from Aceves, but not from Francesco. Professor Aceves had asked him to spar with Dante while he spoke to Riley and the others. Little did Luke know his sparring partner would be aiming for the head. Luke could handle himself in most situations, but Dante meant business. Luke wasn't blind; he knew it had something to do with Lindsay. Hoang had paired them together for the class and everyday he could feel Francesco trying to set him on fire with his eyes. More so when he overheard Luke ask Lindsay out friday. Luke enjoyed seeing the enraged expression on Dante's face, but his main reason for asking Lindsay out was to get to know her. She always seemed to guarded when others were around. He wanted to see what she was like without her cool mask.

He didn't understand were Francesco got off being territorial over a ex he cheated on. His own loss. He had his chance and be blew it, Luke didn't plan on doing the same. With that thought he saw Lindsay waiting outside Dally's candy shop alone. She was leaning against the iron railing in front of the shop, staring up at the cloudy sky. She looked slightly nervous, but strangely peaceful as her storm grey eyes matched the sky. He stood across the street from her just watching. Her pale gold hair was in loose curls surrounding her delicate face. She looked so different standing there than she did in class. She looked relaxed. She seemed to notice someone staring at her as she looked around. When she caught his eyes, he couldn't help but smile at her as he walked across the street to join her.

"It's not nice to keep a girl waiting, Harraway." She said cheekily as he approached. She went to push him playfully when Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him for a hug.

Luke wrapped his arms around her and smile when she did the same. "You looked worried, Crowe. Did you really think I would leave you hanging?" He asked as she pulled away from him, but didn't let go.

Lindsay bit at her lip and with a confident tilt of the head, "You aren't brave enough. So you asked me out; I hope you have a plan to keep my attention."

With a laugh Luke pulled her into the shop. Dally's was a common favorite to the Capet kids. Checkered black and white floors and floor to ceiling shelves stocked with candy. Red booths sat in front of the windows giving everyone a lookout onto the street. Dally's sold both wizard candy and muggle candy, which was great for people like Luke, who was muggleborn. Luke pulled Lindsay into a small corner booth and went to the counter to order two milkshakes.

Lindsay raised an eyebrow at him when he returned. She looked at the pink colored glass in his hand, "Strawberry, an interesting choice. It's bad to assume." She said with a stony face.

Luke laughed and placed the strawberry shake in front of her. "I will admit I have assumed in times I shouldn't have. However, you seem like the type of girl that likes strawberry." With a long pause he shrugged his shoulders and sat down. "That and I asked Riley to make sure." He didn't mention just how hard it was to get the information out of Riley. Riley was there when Lindsay was with Dante and she was there in the aftermath. It's understandable why she is skeptical of Luke.

Her stony expression turned appreciative as she sipped from the straw, "Smart move. So what do you want to talk about?"

"You." Luke said simply.

Lindsay look slightly taken back, but quickly recovered. "I'm sorry to say I'm not as interesting as everyone thinks." That might have been true. Unless your name was Riley Kramer, than Lindsay was a mystery to you. She rarely let people truly get to know her and Luke wanted to know why. He wanted to know everything.

"I happen to think your very interesting. First matter of business. Are you really related to Al Capone?" Luke asked with genuine intrigue.

Lindsay laughed, "Yes. He is my great-grandfather." She looked at him curiously through her lashes. "Out of all the things you could have asked." With a shake of her head. "Alright my turn. Tell me about childhood. Where did you grow up?"

"Miami. Sorry to disappoint you this time. I had a pretty average childhood, well until Professor von Rothman showed up at my house and told my muggle parents I was a wizard." He looked down and laughed. Lindsay smiled at the sight of it. It was the type of smile that drew you in and made you want to smile too. "The look on my parent's faces. My mom thought it was another one of my pranks and tried to ground me for convincing some random women to help me pull it off. It wasn't until von Rothman Accio'd my mom's reading glasses for her that she seemed to believe it. I thought she was going to faint."

Lindsay knew it wasn't uncommon for staff members of Capet to meet with the parents of muggleborns. Capet had a system. They always found a way to keep a close eye on muggleborn families. Should a family seem to be less open to ideas such as magic they would send a professor to meet with the parents. "What did you think?" Lindsay asked, truly wanting his opinion on all this. She grew up in the magical world and knew all of it's wonders. Come to think of it, she has never really sat down and got the muggleborn perspective of things.

There was a look of wonder in his amber eyes, "I was amazed. I grew up with five older brothers and the idea that there was finally something to set me apart... it was great. For the first time I wasn't just a mold of my older brothers." He tapped his fingers on the table top, "Sorry. I didn't mean to make this about me. What about you? Tell me about your family."

"Purebloods. I never really knew my parents, their Ministry workers. They spend most their time in Salem. So I grew up with Millie and my older brothers." Luke looked like he wanted to apologize for bringing it up, but Lindsay stopped him. "It wasn't all bad. My brothers have season tickets to Puddlemore and are good friends with the seeker."

Luke took a deep breath. "Ah, quidditch. A lovely sport." He said sarcastically with a grin.

Lindsay repositioned herself as a mischievous glint shown in her eyes. Luke knew he was about to be in for something interesting. "Riley told me you were afraid of heights, but I didn't get the full story. Care to share?"

"Now you're playing dirty, Crowe," Luke said with a wink. "Fine, second year my old friend, Wyatt, convinced me to try out for the quidditch team. Take in mind, I'm from Miami. We have no mountains or overly high spaces so to speak, or at least I never went to one. So I agreed to go to tryouts with him. I was pretty good at commanding the broom. I could get it off the the ground and call it to me, then the captain told us it was time to test us to see who could be a chaser." Luke rubbed his hand over his face, "I pushed off the ground and I was fine at first. Then I looked down."

He paused for a moment and gave a deep chuckle "I completely freaked out and lost control of my broom. The captain tried to help me, but I only managed to push him off of his broom. Luckily, he landed in the Gulf." He looked up at Lindsay judging her reaction only to find her looking at him with a amused smile. "Go ahead. Laugh, I know you want to. So after I knocked the captain into the Gulf of Mexico, I still can't get a hold of myself. I grab hold of Wyatt's broom and I'm literally holding on to him with both hands, while my feet are still wrapped around my broom." With that mental image Lindsay couldn't hold in her laugh. "This is the reason you guys are not longer allowed to have tryouts so close to the coast. Professor Days had to come get me down."

The more Lindsay thought about it the harder it made her laugh. Before long her stomach was beginning to feel tense. It has been a while since Lindsay laughed so freely. It felt good, even if it was at her dates expense. "Alright, you've had your fun. I have told you the most embarrassing story I got." He played with the straw in his untouched milkshake. He gave her a half-smile that he was glad to see her return. He watched as she broke eye-contact to look down with a smile firmly on her face. He was fixed at the sight. He couldn't help but think he was seeing a rare sight. A true smile from Lindsay Crowe. At that moment, Luke decided he would make it his job to see more of those smiles. "Alright, Lindsay. What is the most embarrassing thing you've done?"

* * *

**So this chapter was mainly for showing more of relationships, which is what most filar chapters will do in this story since I need the actual chapters to convay plotline. I'm sorry I only had time to do three povs and I will get to the other characters soon. There were some main people that didn't review the last chapter and i'm a little lenient because it's the holidays, but I did mention in the first chapter I will be replacing those that don't participate. I'm not going to be harsh at this moment, because of the holidays though so no one is gone yet. Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter I will definitely remember you guys, and when I do my next filer you guys are on the top of my list for povs. **

**This is far from my best chapter and I promise to make up for it in the next one. Large thank you to Leprechaunlady for taking the time to edit this and give me advice. You are a lifesaver. I hope everyone has a happy new year and I look forward to seeing you guys next year and I promise a better and less rushed chapter when I return. Lots of love to you all and everyone be safe tonight. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Peter**

The room was utterly silent while Professor Mahmoud recited the from a textbook some. In the background, Peter could hear the old oak clock near the professor's desk at the front of the class ticking away and the restless tapping of feet and fingers on desks. A stranger would have thought the students were bored due to their clear disinterest in the current topic; however, the tension was through the roof. It didn't take but a glance around the room to tell why. Validus and Gaudium students were dressed head-to-toe in their quidditch gear, looking ready to race toward the quidditch pitch the moment the bell rang. It was the first game of the year, everyone looked like they were about the burst with excitement, excluding a chosen few sane students.

Most of the students were watching the clock intently or fidgeting around with anticipation, but Peter sat quietly in the back, leaning over his notebook actually trying to listen to the Professor's lecture. To Peter, the tapping and constant ticking of the clock were only getting louder; it was starting to give him a headache and sitting next to Nicholas Andrews didn't help much either. On top of the of the crushing tension Nicholas insisted on tapping the beat to "We will Rock You" on the desk. Peter turned his head to give Nicholas a pleading look to knock it off, hoping the blue-haired boy would get the message. Sadly, all he earned in return was a wide grin from Nicholas and a look that said Nicholas knew something that Peter didn't.

Professor Mahmoud suddenly slammed his textbook on his desk with a loud thud, gaining the classes' attention. The arabic man looked at his students, grinning. "Go Gaudium!" He chuckled and the bell rang as the last syllable left his lips. While the students started to file out of the classroom, Gaudium cheered in agreement at their representative's statement, and Validus booed at him playfully.

Everyone was quick to leave the room, wanting good seats at the first match of the season. Peter moved off to the side—he didn't want to get crushed by the mob of students pushing toward the door. He was content with waiting until everyone had left, but Nicholas didn't feel the same way. The other boy clasped Peter's shoulder and lead him forward into the crowd. Natalia came to his other said and looped her arm through Peter's. Peter looked back and forth between the two as they were acting so oddly, but they appeared as though it completely normal was to lead him through the crowd against his own will.

Peter sighed, he had a feeling he was going to be learning why Nicholas had looked so smug before.

The duo pulled him into a small hallway away from the rest of the crowd. The two looked down both ends of the hall to make sure they were alone before turning to Peter.

"Peter, ol' buddy. We have a proposition for you," Nicholas said with a sly grin and Peter couldn't stop the rising feeling of dread and anxiety he felt at hearing this.

* * *

**Wyatt**

In the sea of students fighting towards the first Quidditch Pitch, Wyatt saw a still figure in front of one of the hall's many windows which looked out onto the courtyard. The lean form and sleek chocolate colored hair gave the shadow away—Faye.

Wyatt made his way behind his friend, silent and swift through the crowd. Faye was normally very alert, but she gave no sign of knowing he was behind her. Something had caught her rapt attention outside the window. Peeking over her shoulder, he easily caught sight of what was so interesting.

Surrounded by a mob of Validus quidditch players was Luke, with one arm slung over Lindsay Crowe's shoulders. Some did a double-take as they passed the couple, completely unaware the two had been interested in each other in the first place. "I'm taking it that you didn't tell him?" Wyatt asked breaking Faye from her trance, causing her to jump.

The brunette breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Wyatt sneaking up behind her. She reached over and punched him in the arm. "Not cool, Wyatt! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I only asked a question; it's not my fault you were in the Twilight Zone," he replied, rubbing his arm with a mock pained expression. Faye gave him a soft smile, muttering an apology. "You didn't answer my question, but I assume it's a no."

"Look no offense, Wy, but I really don't want to talk about this. Calion and Cerise already tried." She sighed, "right now, I'm just tired." Faye crossed her arms defensively, protectively, taking a quick peek through the window again.

Wyatt watched as her big eyes became heavy with emotion the longer she watched. It made him want to knock some sense in the jerk in the courtyard hanging over some other girl. Faye was one of his best friends, the little sister he never had. It was really bothering him that she was getting hurt, but at the same time, if Luke was happy, was it really any of his business? Wyatt wondered if he could still help Faye without starting something with Luke.

"Alright, I get it." He raised his hands in surrender, trying to make her smile. "You should be more excited. It's the first game of the year." He pretended to sound excited for her sake. However, Faye was very aware of Wyatt's disinterest in her favorite sport.

"I think I'm going to sit this one out." Faye tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, attempting a smile even though it didn't reach her eyes, "I'll be fine. I need to catch up on some sleep anyway. You should go, have a good time—cheer on Chavert, eh?" She said the final part in her terrible attempt at his canadian accent.

Knowing Faye just wanted to be alone, he smiled and nodded. "Learn the difference between a canadian and french accent, would ya?" Wyatt called as she sauntered farther into the hall.

Had the day kept waning on or had it only been five minutes? He stuck his hands into his the pockets of his jacket but felt something hit his hand. "What the?" Wyatt reached in and pulled out a black card tarot card,_ Strength_.

* * *

**Peter**

"Let me get this straight, you two want me to help you sneak into the Sapientia girls' dorm?" Peter asked, his eyes darting between the pair in front of him.

Nicholas and Natalia shared a look. "Nope, we want to help you sneak into the girl's apartment. We have a quidditch match to win," Nicholas corrected, pulling a vial of midnight blue liquid from his pocket.

"That would be?" Peter asked hesitantly, pointing at the bottle.

"Abscondite, helps you pass through wards without getting caught," Nicholas answered, "and no, you don't want to know how I got it."

Peter opened his mouth, just to close it again. He couldn't believe what these two were suggesting... well, he could, but the fact they were suggesting he be the one to do it? Peter ignored Nicholas and looked to Natalia instead. He had nothing against Nicholas, but the blue-haired boy's record wasn't the best.

Natalia must have sensed Peter's hesitation to follow Nicholas because she placed a hand on her partner in crime's shoulder, pulling him close. She whispered to him for a while, making Peter increasingly more awkward. Finally Nicholas pulled away. He gave Natalia a look that Peter couldn't comprehend—it seemed like a mix of anger and constipation, but that didn't seemed right. Natalia did as she responded with a raised brow—the conversation was continuing. Joy, he thought.

Peter took to studying the cracks in the marble beneath his feet. A mixture of jealousy and simply feeling out of place filled him. He had never witnessed the familiarity between the two; they were completely in sync.

"Alright, I get it," Nicholas spoke, breaking away from Natalia. "I'm going to head down to the portkey. You might want to hurry it up, Nattie." Peter felt his throat tighten at the nickname. "You know how Paulon gets before a match." He handed Natalia the vial, before nodding to Peter and leaving.

"You really don't want to do this, do you?" Natalia asked, holding his gaze in a way that made it impossible for him to lie.

"No," Peter said honestly. "I don't even understand why you would want to do it. What do you expect to find up there anyway?"

Natalia shrugged, juggling the Abscondite back-and-forth between hands. "You trust me right?" Now that was a loaded question, Peter scoffed in his head. "Because if you do, I'm going to need to you to do this without asking questions."

He chose to remain silent for a moment. Peter wanted to trust Natalia, but something about this just seemed off. "Can I at least get a vague answer out of you?"

"On grounds of possible self-incrimination... no."

"Well, do you trust me?" Peter looked Natalia dead in the eyes.

Natalia bit down on her lip. She twisted on her feet like she was going to simply walk away but whirled back around. "Last week, Nick and I were somewhere we weren't suppose to be and happened to see Tallulah in a place she wasn't suppose to be. A few days later, I see Tallulah in the hall and when I go to talk to her—she runs... So, yes, I trust you. That is why I'm asking you to do this, not anyone else, but you. Plus, you're already in Sapientia so it won't be as difficult."

He had asked for a vague answer and that was certainly what he got. Peter thought over it for a moment. That wasn't exactly the explanation he had been looking for, but to his surprise, he believed her.

"Give me the vial." He said quickly holding out his hand. Natalia beamed at him with her mischievous eyes causing Peter to huff. "I just want you to know, this is complete guilt-tripping. You're a manipulative person," he grumbled, but there wasn't much too it. He had lost to her.

"I know and I am not ashamed of my methods," She said oddly gleeful with a bottle full of mysterious intentions in her hand. "You need to to drink two drops and give it a minute before trying to pass, it has to be in your system." She placed the vial in his hands.

Natalia stopped grinning for a moment, placing her hand on his shoulder. She reached up and gave him a fleeting kiss on the cheek, "Grazie, Pete, really this means a lot." She saw his face begin to turn red, and she laughed. "Come on, Pete. Like I said before, if our friendship is going to work, you are going to have to get over the touching."

* * *

**Lindsay**

"... and Gaudium, won't know what hit them," Paulon boasted as he went over the game plan a final time. A wide smirk was plastered on his face while he admired his own handy work. Lindsay shook her head at his nonsense and could hear Riley scoff. Lindsay looked over to see Riley laying on top of one of the benches. Even though Riley wasn't a actual player, Lindsay knew she always felt at home hanging out with the team before matches.

"I don't know why you look so proud. Most of this was my idea," Lindsay said, propping her elbow up on Paulon's shoulder.

"Aw, leave him be, Lindsay," Riley joked from her position lying on a bench. "He did help out a little. Look, he took the time to draw your plan out on the board. He even color-coded it." Lindsay heard faint snickers behind her followed by the distinct mocking chuckling of Nicholas, who didn't care whether or not he made his roommate mad. Paulon made a rather unfriendly hand gesture at him

"Oh, real funny. Think you could do better?" He directed the question at Riley.

Riley rolled over so she could see the board upright. "Drawing on the board? It's literally just a bunch of X's and O's, and some lines." Paulon took a long pause, squinting his eyes at her.

Nicholas stared at the white board for a long moment, "Alright one question. Exactly, how do we know who is who?"

"I went over this like a minute ago."

"I know, but you took so much time drawing and picking out colors I zoned out," Nicholas informed him with his ever prominent smirk. Lindsay looked over to him and was shocked to see Natalia wasn't in sight. She knew the duo took Quidditch as serious as she did, it was suspicious to see Nicholas so zoned out before a match and ever stranger for Natalia to be MIA.

Paulon banged his head lightly on the whiteboard. He went to pick up his wand in order to explain it again when Lindsay quickly cut him off, "Nic, just do what you normally do." She spared everyone from having to sit through Paulon's long explanation of her plays.

Lindsay saw Riley glancing up at the clock and knew it was time for her friend to start setting up for the game; she offered her hand to help Riley up. "I need to get my set-up going and make sure everythings working. I will see you guys after the match," Riley moved to open the door. "Oh, and try not to lose guys. I have money on this match." With a grin and a thumbs up, she let the door close.

"Alright, one final time. Does everyone know what they are suppose to do?" Paulon asked. Some nodded or just waved him off as they continued getting their gear together. Lindsay caught sight of Ainslee beside Nicholas. Their eyes met for a split second and Ainslee nodded at her. When it came to quidditch the two had an agreement that their personal problems wouldn't get in the way of the game. They didn't have to like each other to play well together.

Now that Lindsay was with Luke the rage she felt while looking at Ainslee had dulled down to simple annoyance. She could almost thank Ainslee for getting in the way of her relationship with Dante. She gave her roommate a once over and noticed that Ainslee definitely looked more healthy than she had in the past two weeks. A mixture of Natalia's help and sessions with Professor Hoang was credited for pulling Ainslee out of whatever slump she had been in before.

The door swung open and Natalia slauntered in, "Where have you been?" Paulon questioned her. "We have already gone over the plays."

"Please, I know those plays better than you do." She responded, not answering his previous question.

"It's not important anyway. What is important is winning." Lindsay reminded Paulon before he could continue asking questions. Lindsay turned her attention to her broom and began preparing for the doors to open.

* * *

**Tallulah**

Tallulah paced back and forth in in front of her desk. Lying on the desk was the large black book. Ever since she had taken the book she couldn't shake the feeling it was calling her to it, and to be honest, it scared her. She had woken up the night she had taken it to find herself sitting at her desk with the book in front of her. It wasn't open—it was just there—she couldn't remember how she had gotten over to her desk. From then on, she had settled for keeping the book in the drawer until she felt comfortable opening it, only to find it laid out for her each day after she had put it away.

Tallulah stopped and stood perfectly still, just looking at it. Taking a shaky breath, she walked slowly toward it, until she stood in front of the desk. There was no way to know what exactly was going on with her without opening the book, she reasoned. Ever so slowly she reached a quivering hand out toward the book. Her better nature told her to stop—This didn't feel right, it screamed.

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her wrist, and a cold chill moved through her. Almost against her will, her hand met with book and opened to the cover.

Something started to force her to look up into her mirror across from her desk. She struggled against the force—the no good force that had moved her hands. It finally became to much for her and she looked up. Her eyes meet her reflection and she released a high-pitched scream, her body going to shock. Falling to the ground, her body convulsed.

"Eldridge!" Someone yelled rushing toward her. She looked to see Peter Longhorn standing over her. "Can I help you?" He asked, unsure of what to do.

Tallulah managed to get enough control to point back up to her desk, toward the book... or where the book _had_ been.

* * *

**Riley**

Her boots clicked against the concrete floor as she left the long hall that led to the locker room and entered the main entrance hall of the pitch. As she passed, she watched as students came in through the many portkeys. Older students landing gracefully from years of practice, while the first years tripped over themselves to keep balance while landing. Once they righted themselves, many of them stood in shock taking in the room around them, and more importantly what laid at the end of the entrance hall.

She walked to the end of the hall and was greeted with the bright light of the sun. Standing at the lower level of the stadium, Riley clearly remembered her own shock the first time she saw Capet's quidditch pitch. Riley hadn't been to a game before Capet, but she had seen pictures of games in the papers. They had all looked similar to some extent when it came to their venues. Tall towers boasting the team colors or encircling platform seating, but what made them all the same was the concept of solid ground beneath the stadium. Leave it to Capet to be the one place that made Quidditch a bad sport for both those who are afraid of heights and those who can't swim—in the middle of the pitch, where ground would normally be, was water.

Capet's quidditch pitch was dead center in Lake Pontchartrain. Rising from the lake, it's oval shape gleamed in the light from it's sleek, stadium-like set-up. The lower level of the pitch was where the portkeys and locker rooms were located. From the lower circle, people made their way up into the higher level seating and five higher platforms rose above the normal seating. On four of the platforms hung large banners for each house and at the north point of the pitch, and on the fifth tower hung Capet's banner.

Riley made her way up into Capet's main tower platform and over to her commentating equipment. She flipped the point tally switches back and forth, making sure each worked properly. When it came time to test the mic Riley caught sight of her aunt, Kathy, making her way into the pitch. (Capet games weren't just for students and faculty, the entire supernatural community of New Orleans was invited to attend if they pleased.) It was only natural for Riley to say "hi, "Aunt Kathy," through the mic. Her aunt looked up and began to turn red before quickly making her way up the row. "Well, that is rude." Riley said to herself.

"I'm pretty sure that was for me," the familiar, gruff voice of Professor Aceves declared as he took his seat beside her. Crossing his tattooed arms, Aceves kicked his feet up onto the metal railing in front of them.

Riley looked between Aceves and her aunt below them. "You two really need to get over yourselves," Riley chided.

Aceves raised a brow at her, "Excuse me?" He tried to sound scolding, using the tone he would often use with Nicholas when the later said something stupid.

The brunette turned her head toward him and replied slowly, "You two need to get a grip. You broke up seven years ago and neither of you really had a good reason for breaking up. You still love her, I know she still loves you, so I don't get your problem. You were both perfectly happy before." She explained. The two of them had been together for years before Riley started at Capet, long before Riley knew him as professor. After Riley's magic started to show, Riley's mom would send her to Kathy's to keep Riley's dad from finding out. From the first day Riley had been dropped off with Kathy, Aceves was there.

"That was before I was almost thrown into Alcatraz."

Riley frowned at him. "Really, that's the reason? She knew you were a dark wizard when you started dating. No offense, and please don't give me detention when I say this, be a man and get over it for both your sakes."

"You're not big on empathy, are you?" Aceves questioned, the corner of his mouth raised in a half-smile.

"Nope, Uncle Vic, really not." Riley was so caught up she hadn't noticed that the stadium had filled up. The teachers had began to take their seats in the high boxes, and Headmaster Sauvage had come to stand high above the crowd. With a wave of his hand, the doors of the locker rooms opened; the players flew out, taking their positions at opposite sides of the pitch.

The Headmaster whispered "sonorus," and his voice boomed over the pitch. "Welcome, students, faculty, and friends to the first quidditch game of the season." Cheers rang out over the lake. "Now, I know everyone is excited, I want a clean game. Please, keep in mind the rules and watch out for the water if you would. I don't believe our friends would appreciate it very much if you struck one of them." Looking down Riley saw that the regular sirens had already appeared out of the water. Sly smiles were plastered on their faces as they noticed the male audience gaping at them. One of them held the quaffle in her hands as she waited for Sauvage's signal. "And most importantly students, remember to have fun." Sauvage the. reached out his clasped fist and when he opened it the snitch flew from his palm and into the middle of the field. "Begin," he shouted and the siren tossed the quaffle into the air, starting a flurry of activity.

In a flash, Lindsay had the quaffle securely in her arm, racing for the opponent's side. On the other side of the field, Natalia and Avalon dove for the snitch, nearly crashing into each other on the way down. Two Gaudium chasers moved to box Lindsay in, bumping into her on both sides. Riley, having known the play before hand, caught on to Lindsay's movements long before the Gaudium players or the audience did. Sweeping down, Lindsay let go of the quaffle and gave it a swift kick to where Ainslee was waiting.

"And Chavert takes the quaffle!" Riley yelled. Everyone watched as Ainslee bounced the quaffle onto her wrist and gave it a swift hit in the direction of the goals. Sadly, the hit was blocked by a fierce kick from Natalie Lewis. "What! Lewis with the block." Riley didn't even attempt to hide her disappointment at this. After seeing the disapproving look from Professor Mahmoud she raised her hands in defense, "Right, no favoritism."

The air was a blur of black and yellow, and brown and red. Riley's eyes darted back and forth as the quaffle changed hands every second. It was funny to watch Lindsay and Ainslee work so well together. For two people that couldn't stand to be around each other, during quidditch they were the perfect team. As much as Riley hated to admit it, Gaudium was certainly holding their own; not letting Validus keep their hands on the quaffle long enough to make another try for the goal. Just as one of the Gaudium players started making off with the quaffle, a bludger spun around the side hitting a Validus chaser in the arm and knocking him into the Gaudium player. They both plunged into the water. Luckily for them the sirens helped move them onto the lower platform of the pitch, but the bludger seemed determined to get another player as it whirled back in an attempt to get Avalon. The Gaudium beater, Rune, was quick enough to stop the bludger from making contact. All the while, both seekers were showing some serious flying skills as they weaved between their fellow players without taking their eyes from the snitch.

Suddenly there was cheering from the Gaudium-supporting platforms. Huggins had made a swift goal; they had made the first points of the game.

She stared Paulon down from his spot in front of the goals. "Hey, De Pointier! The point of being keeper is you keep the quaffle out of the goal!"Paulon rolled his eyes and went back to focusing on the game. "This is going to take a while," Riley said to herself. She looked around for Natalia hoping her friend was closing in on the snitch. The game continued with each team gaining a point, constantly going back and forth.

* * *

**Faye**

Faye wandered the abandoned halls of Capet before stopping at Papa Mamba's classroom. She stared at the door, wondering if she should walk in or quickly leave. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the lump in her throat and reached for the doorknob to open the intimidating wood door. "Papa Mamba?" She called into the dark, candle-light room. She didn't get a response. She stepped fully inside and closed the door behind her, curious as to if the man had fallen asleep. Quietly, she walked through the room, looking for any trace of Papa Mamba. Faye had been meaning to ask the Voodoo Professor if she could borrow that book on Papa Legba she had seen before, but if she probably wouldn't find him and should just turn around, she thought to herself. Then she reached his desk and saw the book she was looking for, along with a framed picture containing Mamba and a group of people who must have been members of the voodoo faction.

She noticed that the picture had a date on it, 1997, and that In the picture, Papa Mamba had his hand clasped on the shoulder of a older man. The man with Mamba had piercing cole black eyes, and salt and pepper colored hair. Faye cocked her head and picked up the frame. She couldn't shake that the man in the picture was familiar to her somehow.

"I knew you would be here soon," Papa Mamba confided, coming out from the darkness.

Faye jumped and quickly placed the picture back on his desk. "Papa Mamba, I'm so sorry. I came here to ask you about that book and you weren't here so-" Mamba raised his hand for her to stop.

"It's okay, Faye," he assured. I can't expect a cat not to be curious, now can I?" He picked up the frame she had set down and took in the picture with a smile. "I have been meaning to speak to you as well. Please take a seat. Was this what you came here for?" He asked handing her the leather book.

"Yes, I have always found the loa interesting—I always liked the more misunderstood sides of magic it's part of why divination is my best subject," she admitted with a smile. "but if my mom knew, she'd have my head."

"Ah, yes, Salem Lavine. You would think with her career choice she would have more respect for the more exotic forms of magic. It is one of the reasons she met your father in the first place."

"You knew my dad?"

The man smiled, he was quiet for a moment, staring into the distance darkness as if reliving old memories. He turned the frame around for her to see and pointed to the man in the picture. "Yes, very well. James, was a good man. I had known him going on twenty years before his death."

"Would you mind telling me about him? I... my mom doesn't like to talk about him. Was he a member of your faction?"

"You could say that. James was a man of many talents and many alliances. He had friends everywhere. The modern day gypsy, he spent years traveling to the most remote locations in the world and learning what magic they had to offer." Papa Mamba turned his eyes toward her with a fond expression. "He is the reason I wanted to speak with you."

"I'm not sure I understand," she mumbled, feeling the intensity of his gaze.

"Your father was a very open-minded man." Mamba walked to the side of the room and plucked a thick, red book from it's place. "He understood the need for balance and even more so he understood that sometimes things need to be done that many wouldn't understand. I believe I owe you and your family a great apology, Faye. Your father gave his life helping me complete a very important task. He was one of the few people left with the knowledge and power assist me, and due to a miscalculation on my part it became too much for him."

Faye stared at the ground for a moment trying to make sense of everything. "I want an explanation. You have to tell me everything's?" She looked up desperately into his eyes.

He nodded, "Of course. I-" He paused, and Papa Mamba stumbled back, grabbing at his desk for support. His hand shot up and gripped his head.

Before Faye could ask if he was alright, a sharp pain shot through her own head and a loud ringing brought her to her knees. Faye heaved for air as her eyes watered in pain. The taste of copper filled her mouth and she saw drops of blood hitting the stone floor where she was bent over.

* * *

**Dante**

Validus came to 90 points and Gaudium at 100 with a one goal lead. The seekers spun around the main tower as the gained on the snitch. Dante's hawk like eyes caught every movement, keeping a close eye on Lindsay. Dante watched intently as she fought for control of the quaffle and couldn't help but get side tracked by her.

"Hey, earth to Francesco!" Lex snapped his fingers in front of Dante's face.

"I heard you the first time Lex," Dante said giving Lex a look that reminded him if anyone else had tried that they would be on the ground by now. "To answer your question, no. My parents made no move to take me out of Capet, but they did mention they would be speaking to the Ministry about Sauvage's irresponsibility."

Dante really didn't want to think about his parents right now. He turned his attention back to the game in front of him. The snitch was only a foot above the water. Then Avalon was only inches ahead of Natalia, her arm out in an attempt to grab the snitch.

Dante leaned over the railing to get a better look at the action. A unnatural ringing began in his ears and his vision became fuzzy. Suddenly a dull pain began to move through him and he felt Lex grab hold of him as he teetered forward. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Avalon slowly slipping to one side of her broom, moving wobbly from side to side. Avalon's hand wrapped around the snitch just before she fell from her broom and into the water. She wasn't the only one with the strange feeling.

"What the-" Lex sounded shocked as he kept his eyes trained on the upper platform. Dante followed his gaze to see Professor Aceves pulling Riley away from the edge of the platform as she collapsed. Her body was slumped over in Aceves arms and blood flowed from her nose. Dante felt something warm run down his face, he reached toward her nose and found her fingers covered in blood. The pain he felt amplified and Dante gritted his teeth to keep from yelling out, his vision quickly going black.

"Dante!" Lex yelled as Dante's full weight fell ontop of him.

* * *

**Hey, everyone! First of all I owe all of you the biggest apology for being MIA for so long. I won't bore you guys with the issues of my life, but in short terms it simply got too crazy for me to focus on fanfiction. I can't begin to explain how sorry I am for leaving this story with just a filler chapter and I can understand if you guys are annoyed with me. No hard feelings, I understand and still love you all. **

**So here is the new chapter this story is still very much alive and I look to seeing it through. Big thanks to _SailorOwls_ for betaing. She is great and I don't know how this chapter would have turned out without her. Thank you too all the reviewers and those that tried to keep up with me while I was gone even though I am terrible at replying. **

**A little update with the House Points. Validus is ahead at 3, Animus and Gaudium are tied with 2, and Sapientia has 1. **

**So you guys tell me what you thought of this chapter! The collapsing, the book finally comes into play, another tarot card has been found, finally I get around to explaining Riley and Aceves so my favorite professor doesn't seem like a creep. What does Papa Mamba need from Faye? How mad are you at the disappearing author? So many things I'm going to explain in the next chap, we are finally getting into the plot. **

**Also because of you guys Capet won Best Fantasy for the Golden Pen SYOC and you guys helped me win Rookie of the Year, so once again big thanks! This is getting long so if you have any thoughts or concerns feel free to message me and I will get back to you. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Lex**

The infirmary had been packed for hours after the game. The sun had gone down and it was well past curfew, but that didn't stop the traffic of professors, guardians, and concerned friends. The beds were occupied by those that had passed out during the game and their close friends, like Lex, that simply didn't want to leave. Everyone that had passed out had woken up hours ago, except Riley. None of his classmates were given time to catch their breath before being bombarded by questions about today's events.

"I've already told you, professor. I don't know what happened..." Dante explained in a bored tone, for the fourth time, to a new professor. Dante's face contorted in pain as he moved to sit up. Lex, who had been sitting at the edge of his bed, offered a hand to help him up. The doors to the infirmary flew open for the thousandth time that night and once again Dante paused, his eyes shooting toward the door. It was strange to Lex to see Dante so jumpy, but he could understand why. It's been nearly six hours since the incident at the game and no one has heard from his parents. That fact alone made even Lex nervous as he knew how Dante's parents felt about the school.

Leaning his elbows on his knees, Lex glanced around at his classmates. Avalon Ross was in the corner of the room with Natalie and Rune sitting on either side of her bed by her feet. Faye was in the bed next to her with Wyatt leaning against the wall near the headboard. By far, Faye had the strangest case out of the others. Instead of being levitated in by professors from the game, Faye had been carried by Papa Mamba- who also showed the same symptoms as those that passed out. Mamba had dropped Faye off and quickly retreated to his own dark corner of the school.

Lex allowed himself to look over at the still unconscious form of Riley. He had tried limiting the times he looked to check on her after Lindsay caught him staring for the 5th time. It worried him to see her so pale and fragile. The Riley before them was a far cry from the sarcastic, spitfire they were all used to.

"She's going to be okay," Dante tried to assure him. Lex wanted to believe him, but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread he felt as the hours passed.

Lex's head snapped up toward him, broken from his own thoughts. "How are you feeling?" He attempted to change the topic.

"I've felt worse, but this is definitely up on the list." He moved to re-position himself, "I'm more worried about my parents. I haven't heard from them yet."

Lex nodded, understanding. Even Lex had heard from his parents already, and that's saying a lot. His parents were just as strict as Dante's, but somehow Lex had a worse relationship with his own. Over the past few years Lex had spent some time at the Francesco house and knew just how much influence they had. For years they had been the driving force that kept New Orleans in order. If they wanted something done it wouldn't take but one letter to the Ministry.

Lex opened his mouth to reply, but the doors to the infirmary flew open and Dante's parents marched in. The pair came up to stand over where Lex was sitting and Lex suddenly felt like he could choke on the tension that surrounded him.

"Lex, how great it is to see you again. I wish it could be under better circumstances," Dante's mom told him. Her voice was smooth and calming, but Lex knew it was just expected pleasantries. "I hope you don't mind, but we would like to speak to our son alone for a moment." Her eyes, paired with the look Mr. Francesco was giving him, left no room for argument.

Lex stood and gave the woman a charming smile, "Of course, Mrs. Francesco. It's been great seeing you as well." With that, Lex shot an apologetic look toward his friend and moved away from the bed. He was half-way to the door when he paused and looked back over to where Riley was resting. He quickly made the decision to go over to her bed before he could talk himself out of it. Lex stopped beside where Lindsay sat.

"Hello, cousin," he said to the blonde, earning an eye-roll. "How is she doing?"

Lindsay sighed, reaching over she pushed a strand of strawberry colored hair away from Riley's face, "She hasn't moved since they brought her in. Everyone else has been awake for hours and she hasn't even flinched." Lindsay's eyes moved through the room. Lex noticed how her eyes paused in the direction of her boyfriend, who was currently sitting on the bedside of his own best friend.

"You look worried." Lex stated the obvious. He knew Lindsay had a lot of trust issues after what happened with her, Dante, and Ainslee. Though he didn't like what happen, he had been stuck between a rock and a hard place; between his best friend and his cousin.

When she remained silent, Lex put a hand on her shoulder, "I may not be able to explain what happened with Dante, but Luke is a decent person." He told her using the word 'decent' loosely, after all, he was still Team Dante. "He'd be an idiot to leave you. I mean come on, you're my cousin, that is as perfect as it gets." Lex jeered with a playful smile.

Lindsay spared him a small laugh. "Can you stay here for a few minutes? I really need to go shower and change, Riley's aunt went home for tonight, and I want someone to be here when she wakes up."

Lex nodded, taking her place at Riley's side when she got up. Once alone, he stared at Riley for a moment, looking for any sign of movement. Sure, he had been scared when Dante had passed out on him, but he had been terrified when he looked up to see Riley lying limp in Professor Aceves' arms. He knew Dante would be okay, he was raised to be a fighter, but Riley... he hoped she would pull through quickly. He reached over and brought Riley's hand into his, beginning to idly trace along her fingers while he waited.

* * *

**Natalia**

"Now tell me again Mr. Longhorn, how did you find Ms. Eldridge?" Professor Hoang asked Peter for the second time that night. Natalia and Nicholas arrived after the game to find Peter at the bedside of a convulsing Tallulah; It was nothing like Natalia had seen before. Peter hadn't been allowed to leave the infirmary until the professors knew exactly what had happened.

"I had to go back to the dorms during the game. I was about to head upstairs when I saw Tallulah stumble down from the girls' side. I wasn't able to catch her before she fell, and then she started shaking. I ran to get someone to help."

When Natalia first heard him speak, she noticed how his hand would reach up to push back his glasses or scratch his neck; clear signs he was lying. It was kind of cute. She was surprised enough that Peter had it in him to lie straight to a professor. After noticing his little nervous reactions the first time, Natalia positioned herself so that her arm was looped through his, preventing him from moving around too much.

"I see. Mr. Longhorn, if you wish, you may leave. Ms. Eldridge, considering you are showing none of the other signs, you are clear to leave, but I would like you to stay for a moment longer." Tallulah glanced up at Peter and then to Professor Hoang nodding hesitantly. Natalia stood up and pulled Peter out of the room, knowing Nicholas was following them.

"I can't believe I lied to Professor Hoang," Peter said quietly in awe of himself.

Behind them Nicholas laughed, "Don't worry, man. We've all done it at one point." Natalia watched as Peter shot Nicholas a dirty look over his shoulder, only causing Nicholas to grin wider. They avoided running into professors or other students and found a quiet alcove near the Sapientia dorms.

"Alright, Pete, what happened?" Natalia asked anxiously. With everything that had happened that day, she couldn't help but be on edge.

"I'm not even completely sure," Peter admitted. He ran his hand through his hair and seemed to think for a moment. "I went in there expecting to see nothing, and instead I found Tallulah, shaking and freaking out. I tried to ask her what I could do. She just kept pointing up at her desk, mumbling about a book, but there was nothing there."

Natalia leaned her head back against the wall behind her. She wasn't sure what to think about the situation at this moment. Part of her wanted to storm back into the infirmary and question Tallulah, but that would get the professors involved. Now she wasn't just interested in Tallulah, but this book. She looked over to Nicholas hoping he would have a suggestion.

"Well, we could go back up to her room and try to find the book," Nicholas told her.

Peter shook his head, "There was no book. I checked. If anything, we should check the library and look through the sign out logs." Natalia stared at him for a moment. She was slightly shocked, but never the less happy that he still wanted to help her. Honesty, the library wouldn't be a bad idea if it wasn't for the hundreds of kids at Capet. It would take days to go through those books, plus it just wasn't her style. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Or we could find out right now." Natalia said motioning her head down the hall. The figure was Tallulah walking in the opposite direction of where they stood. "Come on," On impulse she pushed passed the guys and marched in the direction of Tallulah.

Peter reached out for Natalia, "Hold up-"

"You really don't want to that. When she gets like this, it's just best go along with it." Nicholas suggested following the Italian.

Natalia figured Tallulah was heading back to the Sapientia of following her directly, Natalia pushed one of the tapestries on the wall back. From years of sneaking out after curfew, she and Nicholas knew every passageway in Capet. The wall looked normal to the eye, a plain stone wall, but Nicholas and Natalia knew better. Natalia squeezed through the small passageway she knew was there, her body fazing through the 'wall'. She heard Peter's gasp from behind her, but ignored it. She was dead set on cutting Tallulah off before she could get to the dorms.

When Natalia reached the opposite wall she poked her head out and was happy to see Tallulah was heading her way. Natalia waited for a moment for her to get closer before moving out of the wall and grabbing Tallulah's arm.

"You and I need to talk." Natalia insisted. Tallulah had no time to argue before Natalia pulled her through a doorway and out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

"I have nothing to say to you. Leave me alone." Tallulah argued. She yanked her arm from Natalia's grasp, turning only find herself blocked in by Nicholas and a reluctant looking Peter. "Peter, what's going on?" She addressed the only one in the group she actually knew.

"What's going on is that we know somethings up. Something your not telling anyone else and we want to know why," Natalia answered staring the smaller girl down. Tallulah crossed her arms weakly, trying to appear calm, but Natalia could see how visibly shaken she was.

Peter seemed to notice it too, "Tallulah, we know somethings going on. The way I found you, they way things effected you, that wasn't normal. Not even in this circumstance. We can't help you if you don't tell someone the truth." Peter said calmly taking a different approach than Natalia's. At that moment she was glad Peter had tagged along.

"Someone already died this year. Now four of our classmates collapse for no reason? If something is going on you need to tell us."

Tallulah sighed, shaken. She stared at the floor, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. "You wouldn't understand... I didn't know this would happen. I didn't know what that book would do," She told them quietly; her voice cracking. "He said he needed it. He said it was the only thing that could help him."

"Who's 'he'?" Nicholas asked.

"He's the one that needed the book. He said his name was Valentine. I never saw him, but his voice was always there. In my thoughts, in my dreams. I told him I wouldn't do it; The book was in the restricted section, but he kept asking for it. Every time I said no he got angrier." With every word, Tallulah seemed to shrink away from the group even more. Her crossed arms tightened around her, as if she was trying to hold herself together.

"So what happened?" Peter asked gently.

"I took the book. I couldn't stand it anymore, he wouldn't leave me alone! And then he wanted me to open it. I couldn't do it. Something wasn't right with that book. It practically reeked dark magic, but he made me do that too. Next thing I know I'm on the ground and the book is gone."

Natalia, who had been listening quietly couldn't stop herself from intervening, "Let me get this straight. You stole a book from the restricted section because a voice in your head told you too. Then this voice 'made' you open the book?"

Tallulah turned her gaze toward Natalia. Her eyes haunted, yet filled with rage all at once. "I said you wouldn't understand! I couldn't expect you to, with your perfect little life and great friends. You don't have the slightest clue what it's like to be me."

"That street goes both ways," Natalia said in a low tone. She knew Tallulah was out of it right now, and maybe she had been insensitive, but she wasn't about to back down.

"Both of you need to calm down. Right now is not a good time to fight over this." Peter moved himself in between the girls, "Tallulah, do you remember anything about that book?"

"It wasn't a book- not really. It was a record." Tallulah corrected. She didn't break eye contact with Natalia.

"A record? That doesn't make sense. Why is a record in the restricted section?" Natalia challenged.

"It happens. Rituals that have been performed over the years, ones that are too dangerous to repeat, they get written down and bound by magic." She explained. "Before you ask, no, I didn't get a good look at what spell it was. Whatever it was, it had a long history to go with it. That book was pretty big."

"What is something like that doing at Capet? Why not keep it at the Ministry?" Natalia asked, mostly to herself.

Tallulah noticed that they were all distracted and took the opportunity to move toward the doorway. "I don't have all the answers, but I would appreciate if you would just let it go. That book is finally gone, and I just want things to go back to normal." She practically ran off the balcony before they could stop her.

* * *

**Faye**

Faye stretched out her back and gave a sigh of relief once she was out of the infirmary. She hated being cooped up in there. Luke had gone back to the dorms for a moment to go shower. She couldn't help the feeling of victory she felt when Wyatt told her Luke had spent the entire time at her bedside. She was also very aware of how petty that sounded. Luke was her best friend and even though he hadn't exactly been making time for their friendship, she knew he cared. Just not in the way she wished he did.

She desperately wanted to go back to the dorms and shower, but she couldn't shake the need to go back and speak to Papa Mamba. She had been seconds away from the answers she had always craved. Faye needed to know what happened to her dad, what was going on with Mamba, once and for all.

Faye let her feet carry her in the direction of Mamba's class. She rounded the hall to find Papa Mamba and Professor Hoang face-to-face. Hoang's orange eyes glowed like fire.

"I don't know what you're up to, Mamba, but I'm watching you. If the Ministry tries to close the school it will be on your hands."

Papa Mamba's black eyes met her glowing ones, "I assure you, Inari. Despite what you think of me, I would never harm those children."

"I'm sure that is how you see it." Professor Hoang's hands clasped behind her back, her stance was stiff and commanding. "You don't see how these children look at you. They marvel at the illusive descendant of Marie Laveau, completely unaware of what you truly are. You may not mean to hurt these children, but your pride keeps you from seeing things as they truly are. They will end up just like James. He was my friend as well, and it's your fault he wasn't here to raise his girls."

Faye's mouth fell agape. Professor Hoang knew her father too? Faye pressed herself flesh against the wall to avoid being spotted by Professor Hoang as she walked off. Once she was sure Hoang was gone, Faye walked over to where Mamba was still standing. Mamba caught sight of her and gave her a tired smile.

"Hello, child. I'm glad you decided to come back. I have to apologize. I had no way to know that would happen." He tried to explain himself. Faye looked over him and noticed trace amounts of blood still on the collar of his white shirt. Whether it was hers or his, she wasn't sure.

"I want an explanation for everything." Faye demanded. "I want to know what that was, what you know about my dad, and what you want from me." She probably shouldn't be so forceful with a professor, but she wanted answers. After spending the past four hours in the infirmary she wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush.

Papa Mamba nodded, "I understand, and you deserve the truth. We should talk inside." He motioned toward his classroom. Faye followed him in that direction, but was stopped by someone calling her name. Turning around she saw Luke standing behind her with a questioning look. Faye closed her eyes and took a deep breath, attempted to remain calm.

"Can I have a minute?" She asked Mamba. He looked past her to where Luke stood and nodded. He disappeared into his classroom giving the two privacy.

"I thought you were coming back to the dorm. You need to be resting, not out here with him." Luke asked as he got closer. The detest in his voice was clear when he mentioned Mamba. Faye cocked her head at him. He had barely made time for her in the weeks up until she had gotten hurt, and now he was concerned, but at the most inconvenient time.

"Luke, no offense, but I'm really not in the mood right now." Faye's tiredness coming through as she spoke. "Please, just go hang out with your girlfriend or something."

His eyes narrowed when she mentioned Lindsay in the tone she did, "What is your problem? I thought you liked Lindsay." He stated slightly confused.

Faye laughed dryly. She couldn't believe how blind he could be. "I don't know how you came to that conclusion. It's not like we've spoken at all since you two got together."

"And that's my fault?" Luke asked, sounding offended, as he stepped closer to her leaving only a foot between them. "Whatever, this isn't about Lindsay. This is about you sneaking around with Mamba right now and during the game, what with everything going on at the moment."

"I don't see how anything I do is your business at this point."

"Your my best friend, Faye! It's my business when you start having secret meetings with a voodoo priest. This isn't like you." He informed her. Faye's jaw clenched. She rubbed the palms of her hands together and attempted to push down the urge she had to hit him in that moment.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you know me as well as you think you do." Faye forced out. This was going no where. She had more important things to worry about right now than Luke. She made a move to walk away, but was pulled back by her wrist.

"I do know you. I've known you since we were eleven." He tried to explain, but she wasn't hearing it. The more he spoke, the more irritated she became. He claims to know her so well, but he couldn't even take the time to notice how she felt.

Her eyes began to water and she pushed him away from her. "You claim to know me so well, but you can't see the obvious fact that I'm in love with you." She blurted out. "No, you can't. Instead, I, your 'best friend', gets pushed aside for a leggy, blonde with trust issues. Yeah, Luke you know me so well." She said sarcastically tears falling from her eyes. She gave him a final push away from her and made a dash for Mamba's class, ignoring Luke trying to call her back.

Once in the safety of Mamba's classroom she slammed the door behind her. Tears streamed from her eyes and she tried to calm her breathing. She couldn't believe she had just did that! She banged her head against the door multiple times. That was so stupid! She had let her stress get the best of her and she just blurted it out.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to face Mamba, "Maybe you should get some rest. This can wait if your not up for it." He suggested.

"No, it can't wait. I came here for answers and I'm going to get them." Faye whipped away her tears. She allowed herself to be led to the desk and sat down.

"What do you want to know first?"

"What just happened? With everyone passing out?" Faye answered imminently. He reached for the book Faye had seen on his desk earlier that day. She caught sight of the title, "Salem Acts of 1881".

"Papa Mamba, I've already read this." Faye informed him as he sat the book down on the desk in front of her. This had been one of the very first books she had read upon arriving at Capet. It was the Ministry's official notice on the banning of Voodoo, legalized three days after the death of Marie Laveau.

Papa Mamba reached over and opened the book's cover, "Not this version. The ones in the library aren't very 'accurate'." Faye gave him a questioning look to continue, "The version in the library tells of Voodoo priests running a muck. The practice of blood magic and necromancy putting not only wizards, but muggles in danger. However, this is a lie. A story spun by the Ministry to save their own skin."

Faye stared up at him. In the story she had read, the ban on voodoo seemed completely reasonable. The priests had gone wild with power and used their the dark magic to challenge the authority of the witches and wizards of Salem descent. Blood rites had been preformed and hidden sacrifices to the Voodoo spirits mentioned.

"If it was a lie then why was the ban put in place?"

Mamba waved his hand and the pages turned. They stopped on a picture of a 17th century young man. "Because of this man."

* * *

**Avalon**

"It was just so sudden I didn't have time to react," Avalon admitted to her friends. "None of us did."

"What I want to know is why only a handful of people were effected," Natalie said from her position on the couch.

"Same, it doesn't make any sense." Rune nodded. It was almost two in the morning and the three of them seemed to be the only Gaudium students still awake. "Hopefully, the professors will be able to make some sense of this. From what I heard at dinner more people's parents are considering pulling them out."

Avalon shook her head. She wished she could defend Capet, but at this moment what grounds did anyone have to do so? First a student shows up dead and now a handful of them passed out bleeding from their mouths? It was morbid and illogical. Nothing was adding up and the professors didn't seem to be getting any closer to the problem.

She was pulled from her thoughts as her stomach began to rumble. After being knocked out for three hours and questioned constantly she had missed dinner.

"I'm going to head downstairs and get some food," Avalon informed them standing up from her chair.

"Not alone your not," Natalie stood up as well, ready to follow Avalon out.

Natalie and Rune hadn't let her out of their sights since she had woken up. She was grateful for their concern, but she needed room to breath. Give herself some time to think.

"Nat, I'll be fine. The kitchen is just down stairs." Avalon attempted, hoping it would sate her over protective friends.

"What if you pass out again? You need to be resting. I'll go grab whatever you want." Rune finished.

"I highly doubt that's going to happen." She assured them. "I'm not fragile. I'll be fine. I just need food and some time to think." Avalon tossed the towel she had been using to dry her hair onto the table. "I'm going to head down to the kitchen. You two, stay. I'll be fine. Pinky promise." She told them when she saw them both move to stand up.

Natalie rolled her eyes, "Fine, but if you're not back in thirty we are coming to get you." Avalon laughed at her friend's threat and waved her off.

After today's events she was glad that the halls of Capet were so brightly lit at night. Avalon had only been out this late a few times, but it was always with her friends and never after events like what just happened. Avalon couldn't wrap her mind around that day's events. She had thought of every possible answer for what had happened, but none of them added up. She couldn't deny the irony of how much she thought like her dad at that moment.

When her dad had arrived at the infirmary, the staff had been shocked when he started questioned them, his cop instincts taking over. The professors were shocked at this too and had to reluctantly remind her dad that Capet wasn't in the Police Department's jurisdiction.

She had tried to come up with a logical explanation, but nothing added up. The people that were effected had no connections to one another, it-

Avalon was broken from her thoughts when a ringing started in her ears, similar to the one from earlier, but different at the same time. This was a distinctive sound, like static from a TV. Not sure what to think, she started walking again and was surprised when the sound started to get louder, then quieter when she turned the corner. The spur of the moment decrescendo caused her to turn back and follow the ringing sound.

Every step it got louder, but not unbearable. She followed the sound until it led her to a closed door at then end of the hall. This doesn't make any sense, Avalon thought to herself, looking around. She had been down this hallway hundreds of times, but this door has never been here. The knowledge that behind that door was the source of the sound got the best of her and she started to reach for the door knob.

"Didn't expect to see you out this late." A voice told her. Avalon jumped and snatched her hand away from the door. Dante was unnaturally quiet for someone of his stature, making it to her side without alerting her. "Sneaking around isn't exactly good behavior for a perfect." Dante noted.

"What's your excuse, Head Boy?" Avalon challenged. She took a moment to take him in. Rarely did she ever speak to Dante outside of Quidditch or perfect meetings. She could understand why most people saw him as intimidating. A strong, towering figure, always collected, dressed to the nines, and always perfectly combed hair; but now he was more laid back. His hair was disheveled and dripping wet, he had replaced his stuffy clothing for a white t-shirt, and a pair of grey sweats rode low on his hips. Avalon may not like Dante much, but she wasn't blind, nor would she deny that she found this disheveled look to only make him more attractive.

"Couldn't sleep." Dante said simply, but his eyes said different. He looked worried. For a split second he gave a curious look at the door, the look disappearing once he looked back at her.

"You can hear it too." Avalon stated. There would be no reason for him to be there if he couldn't. Dante nodded mutely, both of them turning their attention toward the door. "Well, lets find out what it is." Once again, her hand reached for the knob, stopping when Dante grabbed her wrist gently.

"I'll go first." Dante told her.

Avalon shook her head, "How chivalrous of you. I can take care of myself." She shot back, twisting the knob open and stepping inside.

The room was completely bare, other than a single chandelier that dimly lit the room and the paintings that lined the walls. Avalon stepped deeper into the room, with Dante close behind her. As they stepped deeper into the threshold, the ringing continued to grow. The paintings appeared to be getting older the further back they went and, judging by the collection of dust on them, it was obvious no one had been in this room for years.

"This is Louis Capet." She heard Dante say. Behind her, Dante was glancing over the painting he had stopped at. "That's his father Michael." Dante pointed at the painting before that. Avalon watched as he spun around getting a good look at each painting. "Amèlie, Claude, Augustin, Gilbert... they're all Capets. All down to the last of the Capet line."

She didn't need to ask how Dante knew all this. The Francescos came to New Orleans around the same time as the Capets; it would only make sense he had some knowledge of them. With that knowledge, Avalon now saw the dark, decrepit room in a different light. Three hundred years of arguably the most famous magical family in America was locked away in this hidden room.

At the very end of the room, a painting caught her eye. This one wasn't hung up like the others. Instead, it was pushed up against the wall; the odd part being that the painting was covered in a white drape held in place by ropes. As she got closer, the ringing got sharper, almost painful.

"Who is this?" Avalon asked over her shoulder.

"I don't know. The paintings are in order by parentage. As far as I know, Dominic Capet didn't have children..." Dante paused looking at the drape. "...Unless." Pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the ropes, "incendio." Once the rope was gone, Dante grabbed hold of the drape and gave it a swift pull. Dust flew over them, causing Avalon to sneeze. As soon as the drape was removed, the ringing stopped.

The painting was that of a man dressed in 17th century clothing. The man had strong, sharp features. A hollowed out face and a deep mocha skin tone. Looking at the painting before his, Avalon noticed very little similarities between Dominic Capet and this man. Avalon felt goosebumps climb up her arm as she looked into the paintings eyes. They were as black as coal; Emotionless. Soulless. She wasn't sure if it was just how he was painted or something more.

"Valentine Laveau. The bastard child of Dominic Capet and the Voodoo Queen herself" Dante informed, not taking his eyes away from the painting.

Suddenly, the air in the room grew cold and quick. In an instance, a breeze swept the room and the chandelier above them went out, encasing the room in darkness. Avalon couldn't stop the scream of shock that left her. She reached for her wand and held it at the ready. "Lumos" Dante said his wand lighting their small corner of the room.

"He's gone." Avalon stared at the now blank painting. There was nothing now; no man, not even the background was there. In a state of shock, she didn't fight it when Dante started pulling her toward the door. A wave of relief crashed into her once they stepped into the safety of the well lit halls.

"What was that?" Avalon questioned, looking behind her where the door should have been. "Great, now it's gone again." She said out loud. She should have felt relieved that the nightmarish room was gone, but she couldn't shake the uneasiness of what she had just seen. She turned to Dante, only to find him halfway down the hall.

"Hey, hold up!" She yelled, jogging to catch up with him. When he made no move to stop she grabbed hold of his arm and attempted to turn him around. The action was in vain; Dante didn't even budge at the force she applied. She could feel his muscles tense under her grip. He stopped and looked down at her.

"You can't just walk away from that." She informed him. He stopped his long strides and looked down at her. His dark eyes mystified and cut into her at the same time.

"As opposed to what? Do you want to go and tell Sauvage we found a hidden room with disappearing paintings? He has bigger things to worry about right now."

Despite Dante's unwillingness, Avalon wasn't about to act like it didn't happen. Not after what he just said. "Valentine Laveau. Who was he?"

"Like I said, he was the bastard son of Dominic Capet and Marie Laveau." Dante informed her. "No one knows that much about him. He's not the in the history books or listed in Capet's official bloodline records. He's a ghost, a myth, would be the better word."

Avalon nodded, taking in the information. "How do you know about him then?"

"I saw his name in my great-grandfather's journal. I didn't get the chance to read into it, but from what I gather he didn't exactly get along with the Ministry or Capet in general." Dante paused. His handsome features tensed in thought. "As far as anyone else knows he didn't exist."

With that Dante made another attempt to leave the conversation. However, Avalon's curiosity was far from sated. She could understand why he wasn't in Capet's bloodline record. He had been illegitimate, not something a family as prestigious as Capet would want on record. That didn't explain why he wasn't in the history book. Even though the Ministry hadn't been fond of Marie Laveau it didn't mean they tried to hide her existence. She had such an influence on the founding of magic in New Orleans an entire three pages were dedicated to her life in the history books. Something as minuscule as her having a child should have been written down, but why then...

"If Capet and the Ministry didn't want anyone to know about him why is his painting here."

Dante rolled his neck. Trying to release the tension this was currently causing. "I don't know, but I do know we need to keep this to ourselves. Capet doesn't need another nail in it's coffin." He said forcefully, gently removing her hand from his arm and continuing on his way.

Once they were in the main hall the front doors flew open. The headmaster, and house representatives marched in followed by a small crowd of twelve other wizards. She didn't recognize them, but their robes gave them away as Aurors. Avalon's eyes focused on the figure in the middle of the group. It was the figure of a woman in a long black leather coat, the hood pulled high around her head, leaving only her mouth and chin in view. An air of authority surrounded this woman as she took graceful strides toward Sauvage's office.

Now Dante's earlier statement was starting to make sense. If anything was evident at that moment it was this, Capet was on thin ice as this mysterious woman was no other than Canary Copeland; the Minister of Magic.

* * *

**Once again, I am crazy sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter gets some ideas of flowing of whats going on and opens up more curiosity. I can't believe I missed Capet's one year anniversary! Thank you guys for sticking with me for so long and being patient. Also, We reached 100 reviews! Thank you guys a million times over. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations. Thank you to '**_Of Darkness and Of Light'_** for beta reading this for me. I will do my best to get chapters out fast since we are nearing the big reveal. **

**Also I started another story, that will in no way take priority over this one, in the Until Dawn category. It's a Josh/OC story and if you liked the game please take the time to check it out and tell me what you think. ****Tell me what you guys thought off all the hints in this chapter, and of Faye's reveal to Luke. Are you team Faye or team Lindsay? As always if you have any thoughts or concerns feel free to message me and I will get back to you asap. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Dante POV**

It was as if a dark shadow had been cast over the hall at that moment. With each step the minister took the torches would flicker madly before settling once again after she had passed. Dante's mind went into hyper drive, every detail he could recall about the elusive Canary Copeland sprung to the forefront of his mind. Minister Copeland had come into office at the height of the conflict between the Salem descendants and New Orleans residents. She had won the position by a landslide, despite those who campaigned against following a leader who refused to even show her face or give details to her childhood. How could a woman with no history or a recognizable face become the most powerful figure in the American magical community? Heritage. While she gave no information dealing with her upbringing she did provide proof that she was a descendant of both Salem and New Orleans, making her the prime candidate to end the petty dispute.

Copeland was a strong leader, open-minded in ways the European ministries thought distasteful. In ways Dante's father found distasteful. Dante thought back to his father's words from earlier, _"If Sauvage won't take steps to protect the school, then I will". _His father must really be desperate to have contacted Copeland.

"Dante, we should leave," Avalon spoke from beside him.

Dante shook his head. For a moment, he had forgotten she was there. He lowered his gaze to meet her hazel eyes and nodded. The last thing either of them needed was to be caught snooping around, especially after what they had just seen. Dante took Avalon by the wrist and pulled her back through the hallway they had come from. Avalon was forced to walk quickly to keep up with Dante's long strides.

"I didn't expect her to be so... intimidating," Avalon said trying to find the right word to describe the Minister.

"That's the point. How do you think she united New Orleans and Salem, two communities that had been at war for years, in a matter of months? It wasn't because she begged them to be nice to each other. Now because of my father she has her sights set on Capet."

Avalon skidded to a halt forcing Dante to stop with her, "Your dad brought her here?"

He took a deep breath and nodded, "Like I said, Capet has enough nails in its coffin. All it needed was a hammer, my father served that purpose. That's why we need to keep what we saw to ourselves."

"Well, we have to do something. What we saw in that room wasn't normal, not even by magic standards." A scowl came over Dante's handsome face. Before he could shoot her down she continued, "You can't tell me you aren't just a tiny bit interested as to why that room was hidden away? Why everyone acts like Valentine Laveau never existed?"

Dante glared down at her, an act that would normally cause the lesser to shy away from its intensity, but Avalon held her ground. He stopped smirk that was beginning to spread across his lips. She was persistent. He liked that, but this was no time for it. He didn't expect her to understand the situation at hand. She hadn't been raised around the Ministry like he had. She had no understanding of just how much was at stake.

"My answer is still no. This is no time to be playing detective. Besides, if Minister Copeland is here to close Capet down it won't matter anyway." He moved to walk away but was once again caught by Avalon. _This girl had no concept of personal space,_ Dante thought irritably. He knew he could easily break her hold, however, he paused.

"But what if she isn't?" Avalon questioned him. Dante arched a brow at this, finally turning and giving Avalon his full attention, waiting for her explanation. "Think about it. She's the Minister of Magic if she wanted she could shut down the school with just a letter to Sauvage, but instead she shows up in the middle of the night surrounded by Aurors. Unless she thinks Sauvage is going to put up a fight, which is an incredibly thin chance, something else is going on here."

He didn't deny that she had a point. Copeland stayed out of the public eye as much as she possibly could, she had no reason to be at Capet. If she had just concerned with Capet's situation he could see her sending Aurors to check it out, but couldn't imagine why she would feel the need to accompany them.

"Look, I don't know if what we saw has anything to do with the Minister's sudden interest in Capet, but I am going to find out. With or without you," Avalon finished.

Avalon turned on her heels, her coffee colored hair whipping around as she started to walk away. Against his better nature, Dante knew she was right. He was just as curious as she was. He reached up and ran his fingers through his still damp hair.

"Fine," Dante called after her. Avalon turned back to face him. The smallest hints of a smile stretched across her face, happy they were on the same page. "but we're doing this my way."

She nodded, "Where do you want to start?"

Dante crossed his arms over his chest, taking note as Avalon's eyes followed the motion of his broad arms. He thought back, there was no chance they were getting back into that room and with the ministry snooping around they wouldn't have the time to try to force their way in. He stared off as he searched for the answer to his own question, then it hit him. The only place he had ever seen Valentine reference.

"My great-grandfather's journal. If there is anything to know about Valentine it would be there," Dante narrowed his eyes, the expression catching Avalon's attention.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming on."

"But, as far as I know, it's locked in my father's office,"

Avalon teeth pulled at her bottom lip for a moment, understanding where Dante was going with this. "So the chances of actually getting our hands on it is slim to none."

He grunted his agreement. His father rarely ever left his office and when he did it was warded to the teeth. No one in or out. One would think his father was guarding the Elder Wand in there.

"There might be a way, but it's-" Dante stopped talking his eyes catching two people walking around the corner. Avalon tensed up, afraid they had been caught. She followed his gaze down the hall and released a sigh of relief at the sight of Rune and Natalie walking toward them.

Natalie glared at Avalon as she got closer, "Your thirty minutes are up. You were supposed to be back at the dorm by now." She looked like she wanted to say more but stopped. Her eyes went wide as she craned her neck around Avalon to see Dante standing just a bit away. "Uhm..."

"Are we interrupting something?" Rune asked gruffly, addressing Avalon more than Dante.

The blackette rolled his eyes as the Gaudium student though Rune didn't see it. It wasn't a secret that Rune and Dante weren't on the best of terms. Rune thought Dante was a pompous asshole, and Dante, well Dante didn't think enough of Rune to actually acknowledge his existence. Though, Dante would admit it was a bit funny to watch the blonde size him up. While Dante and Rune were roughly the same size, Dante didn't doubt he could take Rune if it ever came down to a fight.

"No, we were just coming back from the kitchen," Avalon said quickly. "Going over some final details for the next perfects metting."

Her answer left Dante presently surprised. She didn't seem like the type to lie to her friends, which was what he was afraid of. However, seeing her physically cover for them gave him more confidence that she was willing to keep this secret just between them.

"Really? Well, then..." Natalie started not taking her eyes off Dante for a moment before splitting her gaze to Rune. "Avalon, I think we should head back to the dorms. It's late." Natalie gave Avalon a look that Dante recognized as girl language for _'we are so talking about this' _A look he had seen shared between Lindsay and Riley hundreds of times.

Avalon smiled at the gesture and nodded, "Yeah, you're right." She glanced over her shoulder to Dante, "I guess we will talk later."

He gave her a curt nod and turned his back on them. He briefly heard Rune and Natalie's words as the trio walking away from him. A mixture of _"was he bothering you" _and _"I want to know everything". _He shook his head deciding it was a good time to head back to his own dorm and get some sleep. He needed some time to himself to figure out how to get into his father's office anyway.

* * *

**Nicholas POV**

"I just don't trust her." Natalia continued as waltzed in front of the fire. "Sure, let's say it's a 'record', how does a record force someone to open it?"

Nicholas shrugged from his position on the floor. His messy blue hair fell over his eyes as he stared boredly up at the ceiling. He felt the same way about the situation Natalia did. The pieces weren't fitting together. Natalia was convinced the events of the past few weeks were all related, and maybe they were. Nick glanced over to where Peter sat rigidly at the edge of the coach. The Sapientia student looked incredibly out of the place in the black and gold Validus dorm.

A sly smile found itself on Nicholas' face. He would be blind to say he didn't see the way Peter looked at Natalia. Probably without even knowing it. Natalia wasn't much better. Nick had been at Natalia's side since their first year, he knew her better than anyone and would be the first to say she liked the mousy, boy back. Nicholas liked Peter well enough, becoming more fond of him as Peter became more comfortable with the duo.

"Weirder things have happened right?" Peter asked. "Have you read Harry Potter's memoir?"

Nicholas gave him a blank stare, one that gave the clear message "no". Peter rolled his warm brown eyes at this and looked over to Natalia expectantly. Natalia stared at the fire for a moment before realization shown in her eyes. She understood what Peter was referencing. Nicholas waiting patiently for her to explain it to him.

"Tom Riddle's journal," Natalia stated. Her eyebrows scrunched and she moved to sit beside Peter, leaning slightly more toward him so their shoulders were touching. It was interesting to see how Peter no longer shied away from Natalia's presence.

"Exactly, the way Tallulah explained it sounded similar to what Riddle did to Ginny Potter."

Nicholas rose up from the floor, "I'm thinking either a Voldemort fanboy gone too far or Tallulah could just be crazy."

"I highly doubt both those explanations," Peter informed.

"Then what are you suggesting, all-knowing-one?" Nicholas pried.

"I was just drawing a reference. I don't think it's that simple. Whatever did that to Tallulah needed that record, Voldemort didn't need his diary."

"Which brings the question; why was the record kept here? Tallulah said that only the most dangerous spells get written down and bound like that." Natalia questioned. Nick could tell she was becoming frustrated with the lack of facts they had here. Natalia hated being left in the dark- they all did. Nicholas didn't have much trust in the ministry to begin with and now finding out they keep secret recipe books of dangerous spells only solidated his opinion.

"Probably another case of the Ministry wanting to save its own ass. Look at what they did to voodoo- they didn't want to seem weak to the other ministries so they got rid of the priests and acted like it never happened." Nicholas said. "Capet got off with most the blame since we didn't 'step in and stop the conflict'."

"You think the Ministry left the record with Capet on purpose?" Peter eyed him.

Nicholas nodded, standing up, "Makes more sense then the Ministry just forgetting they left some super dangerous spell in our library. In case you haven't noticed, the Ministry and Capet go about as well together as oil and water."

He knew his own words to be true, not just from history, but from current issues. Capet always had a way of pushing the Ministry's buttons. At first, it was when Capet refused to take action against the voodoo priests, then it was when Capet sided with the New Orleans witches against the Salem descendants, and now it was Sauvage's constantly undermining the Ministry's views and hiring not only werewolves and vampires but Papa Mamba as well. Minister Copeland may be pretty chill, but she had her limits and it was only a matter of time.

"What should we do then? Tallulah isn't going to be willing to talk anytime soon." Peter said, sinking back into the couch.

Nicholas grinned and began to reach into his pocket, "Well she doesn't have to be willing-"

"We aren't giving her truth potion." Peter shot quickly without missing a beat. Nicholas pointed his smile at Peter, aware at how he now used 'we' instead of 'you'.

"If you want to do it the hard way." Nick shrugged. He raised his arms above his head and stretched. "I think it's time I retire. I need my beauty sleep. Try to behave while I'm gone. Wake me up if anything interesting happens, if not have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't." He gave the duo a pointed gaze as he backed toward the stairs, getting a good laugh as Peter's face went red and Natalia flipped him off.

He chuckled as he made his way up the stairs. He wasn't sure where Peter and Nattie's new friendship was heading, but he could tell it was getting serious. Nicholas could only hope Peter would get over whatever infatuation he had with Lindsay before it happened. When he finally reached his bed, Nicholas flopped dramatically on top of it. He circled his arms under his pillow and felt something against his fingers. His fingers grasped at it and pulled the object into view. It was a tarot card, the Hanged Man.

Nicholas looked over to Paulon's sleeping body and scoffed. "Never could keep your shit on your side of the room." He mumbled, placing the card on his bedside table before getting under the covers.

* * *

**Luke POV**

"And then she runs off into Papa Mamba's office. I was going to go after her, but-"

"But... why didn't you?" Wyatt cut him off.

Luke had returned to the Gaudium dorm in a huff after his encounter with Faye. He didn't know what to think anymore. He and Faye had been friends for six years and now she is in love with him? More so, she is incredibly ticked at him for not knowing it. Not understanding the situation at all Luke decided he needed someone to talk to. In his desperation, he even risked his own well-being to wake Wyatt up and bring him into the common room so Wyatt could help him sort everything out.

Wyatt sat across from Luke in the couch. His head held up by the arm propped up on the armrest, a chilling death glare resting on his face as he watched Luke pace across the room.

"What?" Luke asked curiously. This whole time Wyatt had remained so quite Luke had thought he had just gone back to sleep.

"Why didn't you go after her? It's a simple question." Wyatt mumbled his tired state causing his voice to take on it's thick Canadian accent.

Luke paused for a second. He honestly didn't know. Sure he was worried about her and wanted to make things right, so why didn't he stop her? Luke groaned, dragging his hand over his face before plopping down in the chair across from Wyatt.

"I don't know, man," He admitted. "I was shocked, I guess. One minute she isn't talking to me the next she is saying she is in love with me."

"This isn't some new revelation of hers, Luke. She's always been in love with you. You're just been too dense to realize it." Wyatt was brutally honest with his blonde friend now. Both out of annoyance for Luke's stupidity and out of his lack of sleep. " She's loved you for years now, but she's never had the guts to say anything."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Luke asked.

Wyatt shrugged, "Because she didn't want me to. She said she didn't want to mess up the friendship and swore me to secrecy. Have you really never noticed this? Noticed that every time you get a new flame Faye hides away until you get over it? I use to think you knew and that you were just keeping it to yourself in the hopes she would get over it, but now I see you're just to thick."

He let Wyatt's words sink in. Luke dropped his head into his hands. Had Faye really be in love with him this whole time? Was he really that dumb? He just couldn't imagine Faye loving him. Yes, he knew she loved him like a best friend or a brother, in that aspect he loved her too, but he couldn't see her loving him as anything more than that. He couldn't see himself loving her more than that. Not like the way he had grown to love Lindsay...

Luke's head shot up. _'love Lindsay'_? It was the first time he had admitted it to himself, but now that he thought about it, he was in love with Lindsay. He was in love with her storm gray eyes, the way she bit her lips when she was stressed, how she laughed so freely when it was just the two of them. He loved Lindsay and he couldn't hurt her, not the way Dante did. Faye came back to mind. He couldn't hurt Faye either. She was his best friend. She had seen him at his worst and his best.

"Wyatt, be real with me. What should I do?"

Wyatt released a heavy, humorless laugh, "I can't tell you what you should do. This one is on you. Your choices are to either stop leading Faye on and stay with Crowe or dump Crowe and see how things work with Faye."

There was a soft knock at the Gaudium door catching both their attentions. They shared a look, wondering who would be up this late at their door. Luke rose to his feet and made his way over, opening the door. He was shocked to see Ainslee Chavert standing on the other side. She had changed from her quidditch gear into a pair of black shorts and an over-sized Finchburg Finches hoodie. Her ice blue hues stayed trained on him as she waited for him to say something.

"Hey, is Wyatt up?" She asked looking around him into the common room.

"What is it Chavert?" Wyatt asked pulling himself to his feet and walking over so he stood beside Luke.

Ainslee's eyes darted to Luke then back to Wyatt. "Can we go for a walk, talk about something?"

Wyatt seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "Sure, Luke here needs some time to himself anyway." Wyatt grabbed his jacket and walked past Luke to join Ainslee.

"You're just going to leave me here?" Luke asked, realizing a bit too late how whiny it sounded when Ainslee giggled.

"Yep, I've presented you with your options, now pick one." His friend deadpanned before following Ainslee down the hall.

Luke slammed the door behind him and walking back over to the couch. So much for the wisdom of Wyatt. He plopped down on the couch with a defeated sigh. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, or even what he wanted to do. He loves Lindsay, but he also loves Faye, just in a different sense. There didn't seem to be an easy way out. Either he hurt his best friend or he hurt his girlfriend.

His amber eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling when the room gradually began to dim. Confused, Luke pulled his head up to look at the fire. The flames were still going strong, but their rays no longer reached the darker corners of the room. His blood ran cold as he watched the line of light disappear from the walls and make it's way back toward the fireplace. Leaving the room pitch black even as the fire roared.

He felt as if he had been dropped into a pool of ice. His skin prickled and his body went cold. He didn't know what had come over him, but he couldn't move. He was forced to stand in one spot, petrified as he watched the glowing fire surrounded by total darkness. He felt a hand land on his shoulder causing him to jump and breaking him from his trance. He reached for his wand and turned quickly to face the stranger. The room regained it's light and Luke's eyes went wide. Standing in front of him was a terrified Theodora Reeves with his wand pointed at her throat.

"Theodora! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Luke asked frantically.

"No, I'm not alright, Luke! You scared me half to death."

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I didn't even notice you come in," Luke tried to apologize. He honestly didn't know what had come over him. He watched as Theodora huffed and walked away muttering about how he needed more sleep. Luke fell back onto the couch, the fire in the corner crackled as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

**Riley POV**

_Something didn't feel right. She wasn't sure whether she was awake or asleep, her body simply felt afloat. The world around her was dark and lifeless. The darkness spread out in every direction. She could barely see five feet in front of her. She had wandered through the never-ending emptiness for what seemed like hours._

_This is ridiculous, Riley thought out in frustration as she stared out into the empty darkness. She had tried many a time to call out, but her voice was inaudible, leaving her with just the sound of her own thoughts. It was driving her up a wall. She didn't even remember how she got there. Each time she tried to think back she ended up with a splitting headache. _'That's it, I'm pretty sure I'm in hell. My own personal quite hell_,' she thought. _

_Her mind wandered as her feet moved. This place didn't feel right and she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She found herself looking over her shoulder constantly in search of the prying eyes she couldn't see. Riley wasn't normally a jumpy person, but this place did that to her. The endless dark left her with a feeling of dread and worry, and the worst of it was that she had no idea where she even was._

_Riley continued to wander forward, dragging her feet apathy when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Riley wheeled around quickly. She inspected the darkness, her eyes darting while she stood fridged. Instinctively she reached for her wand only to remember it wasn't there. She cursed her situation. The sudden sense of fear left her heart thumping wildly in her chest. However, she refused to outwardly show this fear._

_The steps sounded from her left. They were heavy, long strides- a man's steps. Determined to find the source of the footsteps, Riley turned her course and marched in the direction of the sound. As she moved through the shadows she heard the faintest of chuckles behind her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She swiveled around and began to walk cautiously backward. This routine continued for a few seconds. She would hear faint sounds in all directions and she quickly became fed up with this childish game of hide-and-seek. _

'I know you're there, she thought, so come out already! Scared of something?'

"On the contrary, I have nothing to fear here. You, on the other hand, Cheri... you have plenty to be afraid of."_ A voice said to her. Its sound was smooth with a deep cajun accent. _

'Who are you? Where am I?'_ Riley demanded, becoming deeply frustrated with her lack of a voice. _

"This, my dear, is limbo or the astral plan if you will."_ In the darkness, Riley could see a tall, shadowy figure walking toward her. She continued to back away from the approaching figure until she felt her back slam into a hard surface. Looking back, Riley cursed seeing she had backed into a wall. _"There's no need to be afraid."

_'_Get away from me!'_ She thought as he got closer. She raced forward, aiming to run right through the man's misty form, but was stopped by two strong and very real hands. Riley struggled against his grip in vain. _

"Now, now, there's no reason to do that."_ The voice cooed in a mocking tone. Her eyes went wide as she looked up into it's dark, transparent face. Even as it had no visible eyes, she could feel the weight of them baring down on her. _

'What do you want?'

_The voice chuckled and that alone was enough to send a chill down her spine. One of the shadowy hands moved up and pressed against her forehead, _"You and I are going to play a game."_ With that, she could feel the world around her coming to a close. She began to feel tingly and ill. The blood drained from her face and she went limp. _

Riley shot up from her cot. Sweat beaded down her face and wisps of her strawberry hair stuck to her moist skin. Her head snapped from side to side- she was in the infirmary. Her brows scrunched as she looked around. How did she get here? The room was mostly empty. In the corner, Nurse Irene was busy making one of the many unmade beds. Images of the quidditch match came to mind. She had been sitting with Processor Aceves and then the pain hit. She remembered losing consciousness, but for how long had she been out? And that messed up dream... what was that?

"Nurse Irene," Riley said, her voice hoarse from lack of use, "Mind clearing some things up for me?"

* * *

**Lindsay POV**

Lindsay studied herself in the mirror and sighed. She had yet to apply her makeup, making it clearly visible how stress and anxiousness were affecting her body. Her skin was slightly blotchy from lack of exfoliation and the deep bags under her eyes made her eyes seem sunken in. It was all too clear she hadn't slept the night before. Every time she had closed her eyes all she could see was Riley's motionless body. Lindsay shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the image.

She picked her wand up off her dresser and began her silent charms. In a matter of seconds, she looked like herself once again. Every detail of her image had returned to the perfect imagine she strived to maintain, but this perfection didn't reach her eyes. Her stormy gray hues had become a dark slate color. They pierced into her soul as they stared back at her, revealing every emotion she didn't show on her face.

"You're going to get frown lines like that," Ainslee noted as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Lindsay glanced at the other girl through the mirror's reflection, "What do you want, Ains?" Poison on her tongue as she said the girl's nickname. Lindsay made no move to hide the disdain she had for her roommate. Ainslee sighed and sat on Natalia's unmade bed facing the mirror. Ainslee glacier eyes met Lindsay's in the reflection.

"I'm trying, Linds. I am really trying to make up for what I did."

"Well, you're doing an amazing job." Lindsay scoffed.

"It's not easy with you ignoring me every time I try to talk to you." Ainslee defended. "If you would just listen to me."

Lindsay turned to face her, "We have nothing to talk about."

"But we do. I'm tired of fighting with you. I know you're going through a lot right now, we all are. I just want to get this out of the way so we can both focus on more important things." Ainslee said confidently. Her eyes unwavering as she stared at Lindsay, showing that she wasn't willing to let this go.

Lindsay sighed, her lips pursed. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about at that moment. With everything going on the last thing she needed was to be sitting around listening to whatever half-assed apology Ainslee had, but seeing the girl's look she knew she wasn't going to get out of this easily.

"Fine," Lindsay said, crossing her arms over her chest, "You wanna talk, let's talk."

Ainslee appeared taken back for a second. Shocked that Lindsay had even agreed, "Right, look I'm tired of people putting words in my mouth. I don't know what kind of crazy shit people told you about that night, but none of it was true."

"How do I know that?" Lindsay challenged.

"Because, how can someone else know what happened when I don't even remember?" Ainslee stated gaining Lindsay's attention.

"I'll bite. What do you remember then?"

Ainslee shrugged, "That's the thing. I was with Nattie and Nick when Dante came over to talk. I was already pretty tipsy at that point, Nick left to go find Paulon and left his drink with me. Things started getting awkward so I drank Nick's drink and things started to get fuzzy. I can only figure it had been one of his crazy experimental drinks. Next thing I know I'm hanging out with Lex and Dante. Lex, who was drunk off his ass, kept pushing Dante and I together. I remember going upstairs with Dante, but Lindsay, I don't remember sleeping with him- at all."

Lindsay shook her head, "Just because you don't remember doing it, doesn't mean it didn't happen." Lindsay remembered that night quite well considering she hadn't had anything to drink. It had been the Validus pre-game party and Lindsay wasn't about to run the risk of having a hangover during the final match. When they had

Lindsay remembered that night quite well considering she hadn't had anything to drink. It had been the Validus pre-game party and Lindsay wasn't about to run the risk of having a hangover during the final match. When they had run out of drinks that night Lindsay, Riley, and a few other volunteered to go retrieve more. Riley had returned with her stash before the rest and reported to Lindsay that Dante had been seen leaving the girl's room looking disheveled, along with the gossip going around that he had gone up with Ainslee, didn't leave much room to the imagination. Lindsay had been so pissed she had stormed to the Sapientia dorm to confront Dante, but didn't get an answer at the door.

"Maybe not. But I do remember waking up in my bed, almost fully clothed." Lindsay scoffed at this, "I don't know what happened that night, but I truly don't remember sleeping with Dante. Look, I don't care what you believe. I just wanted to put all the bullshit gossip aside and tell you what I remember happening." Ainslee stood and made her way out the door.

Not making an attempt to stop her, Lindsay let her leave. Lindsay stared blankly at the floor and released a breath. At that point, she wasn't sure how to feel. There was no way that short explanation was going to convince her to forgive Ainslee for whatever happened that night, but in a way Ainslee had been right. Lindsay was done with the drama between them. They both had more important things to worry about, but it did make her wonder what Dante's side of things was. He had tried to deny sleeping with Ainslee even when the gossip said otherwise, but Lindsay had blown him off.

What would things have been like if she did take the time to listen to him? Would they still be together? Lindsay felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought but stopped herself. If she hadn't broken up with Dante she would have never had gotten with Luke. Luke was easily the sweetest guy she had ever dated, he made a point of wanting her to smile and laugh, he wanted her to be happy, but what if she could be happier with someone else?

"Linds! Do you want breakfast or not?" Natalia asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute."

Natalia raised a brow at her. Lindsay knew the Italian had to have seen Ainslee leave. "Hurry up. Loverboy is downstairs waiting."

Luke. Lindsay's mind went back to him, she couldn't spend her time focusing on 'what-if'. She gave herself one final glance over in the mirror before following Natalia downstairs. Looking into the common room Lindsay saw Luke standing in beside the couch talking elaborately to Nicholas about something. She walked up and wrapped her arms snuggly around Luke's broad chest.

"Good morning, beautiful." Luke said reaching around, he turned in Lindsay's arms and brought her chin up to give her a sweet kiss on the lips. Lindsay smiled into the kiss.

"Morning," Lindsay sighed out. She smiled at him, but she could see in Luke's eyes that he knew something was wrong and so did she. His eyes were heavy and the lines under them told her he hadn't slept much that night.

"Okay, I can't take watching PDA on an empty stomach." Nick drowned out. He grabbed Natalia's hand and wrapped an arm around Ainslee pulling them toward the door.

Luke laughed as he watched the three of them disappear through the corridor, "How does he do it?"

"It's the blue hair. Ladies dig the hair." Lindsay laughed. The two walked down the hall, Lindsay's arm wrapped around Luke's bicep.

"Really?" Luke asked. He ran a hand through his blonde locks. "Are you saying I should dye my hair?"

Lindsay shook her head with a laugh, "No, I kind of like you as a blonde. Besides, I don't think Nick will appreciate you copying his 'swag'."

Standing by the window, Lindsay spotted Wyatt talking to Faye. She expected Luke to stop and, at least, share a few words with his friends, but was surprised when he continued walking without giving them another glance. She looked up at him and saw his had become unreadable. He noticed her staring and looked down at her, forcing out a smile.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, nodding her head back in the direction of his housemates.

"Wyatt and I just had a bit of an argument. Everything is fine." Luke tried to assure her though she didn't buy it. She knew how loyal Luke was to his friends and had a hard time believing he would just let Wyatt ignore him because of an argument. Not only that but Lindsay also noticed the way Faye refused to look their way.

They walked into the cathedral where Luke proceeded to sit at the Validus table with Lindsay and her group. This had been a normal occurrence for days now. Luke had begun to spend more time with Validus then he did his own house, not that any of them minded. While the general tone of the cathedral was carefree, Lindsay heard whispers from all around directed at the head table. Looking up, Lindsay saw that none of the representatives were at the table. Only a few teachers were present on the balcony and they all carried grim expressions as they looked over the railing, whispering quietly to each other.

"That's not weird at all." Ainslee said, noticing the same thing as Lindsay. Natalia and Nicholas shared a quick look before following their friend's line of sight.

"Did someone else die because this is depressing?" A familiar voice said from behind them. Lindsay's head whipped around and she jumped with happiness when she was Riley standing behind her. Her hair was pulled to the side in a sloppy braid, her eyes were bright and alert as she gave the group her signature smirk. In an instant, Lindsay was on her feet and had eloped she shorter girl in a tight hug.

"Ril, you're okay! How long have you been awake? I'm so sorry I wasn't there." Lindsay rambled, completely uncaring of the eyes on them both. All that mattered right now was that her best friend was okay.

"Whoa, Linds, I'm okay. I feel like I was kicked by a hippogriff, but other than that I'm fine," She smiled at Lindsay. "I would have been here sooner, but Nurse Irene wouldn't let me out of bed. Can't believe I passed out at a quidditch match."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't there. Lex and I were going to check on you after breakfast." Lindsay said, moving so that Riley could sit down.

"Wait, Lex?" Riley asked, her face scrunched in a confused expression, "Why would he care?"

Lindsay looked at her for a second before diverting her gaze toward the Sapientia table. She quickly found Dante, but not Lex.

"Maybe because I would hate to loose my favorite quidditch commentator," Lex said. The group turned to see Lex standing directly behind Riley and Lindsay. "I have to say, Kramer, you gave everyone a scare."

"I can assure you, Adamas, I wasn't intentional."

Lex's brown eyes softened a bit, "How are you feeling?"

"Like death warmed over, but it's getting better," Riley said honestly. Lindsay took note at how Riley held Lex's unwavering gaze. It was always clear to Lindsay that her cousin had a soft spot for Riley, but now she was beginning to believe the feeling was mutual. She felt Luke nudge her. His eyes held a questioning look as he glanced between Riley and Lex. Lindsay could only shrug in response.

The doors to the cathedral flew open causing the entire student body to jump in shock. The room went dead silent, student's mouths fell agape, and some even stood to get a better look as Sauvage moved down the aisle, followed closely by the representatives and a group of aurors.

"Why are they here?" Ainslee voiced everyone's thoughts.

"This isn't going to be good," Natalia said looking on.

Sauvage approached his podium and glanced out over the crowd of students. He didn't wear his normal warm smile as he stood there. Instead, his eyes were hollow and his face grim. The representatives stood behind him. Professor Hoang and Professor Mahmoud had stony expressions while Aceves and von Rothman shared looked of anger. Lindsay quickly noticed that Professor Roux and Professor Vouclain were nowhere to be seen.

"Students, please take your seats." He spoke calmly, yet his tone left no room for arguments. "It is my greatest regret that in the light of recent events... the Ministry has deemed Capet unsafe." The cathedral came to life in a loud roar. questions were flying back and forth. "Enough!" Sauvage yelled, regaining everyone's attention. "That behavior helps no one right now, I'm just as unhappy with this verdict as you are, but it was the one we were given and the one we must respect. With that said, the ministry wishes to search thoroughly into these incidents, which is the purpose of the aurors behind me. For the duration of the next few weeks, they will be patrolling the grounds and searching for answers. While they do their job we owe them respect and cooperation, which is why until this matter is solved Capet will be under a strict curfew. There will be no excursions out into the city while the aurors work."

Whispers flooded the room. Anger and confusion flowed through Lindsay's veins as she listened. Capet was the one place the Ministry didn't touch and now they had the place on lockdown. The school managed on it's own since the 1700s, why did the Ministry suddenly feel to need to step in? Lindsay wondered if her parents knew the answer and if they did would they even tell her.

"This is an inconvenience for us all, but the more compliant we are the quicker this can all be over with. I trust that you will all take heed and follow those two rules for the next few weeks. I thank you all for your time and I'm sure this issue will be handled as quickly as possible."

As quickly as he came, Sauvage left. The group shared a look and collectively stood leaving the cathedral. Once they were in the hall it was Nicholas who spoke first, "This is bullshit. Of all times for the Ministry to go over protective parent, they choose now!" Nicholas threw his hands into the air.

"Not the mention the fact tomorrow is the Axeman's Jazz Fest," Natalia added in. This caused Nicholas to turn on his heels, an expression of realization on his face.

"Yep, that settles it. The Ministry is evil, has no respect for our culture, thus we don't have to listen to them. We're going tomorrow." Nick smirked. Lindsay saw how Luke cocked his head at Nick. Natalia and Ainslee shared a smile showing they were both going to join Nicholas.

"This isn't just going against our headmaster, Nicholas, the Ministry is involved now." Avalon Ross chided as she came into view. As the Gaudium student infiltrated the Validus group it was clear Nick didn't care that she had heard their conversation.

The New Yoker groaned, "Come on, Ross. You can't tell me you are going to sit inside under Ministry watch and miss out on the biggest festival NOLA has to offer."

"It's not convenient-"

"Which is why it's stupid. Capet's been in deeper water before and the Ministry didn't bat an eye, now they want to babysit us. I'm with Nick on this one." Riley spoke up. "Why should we be locked up just because Copeland has suddenly taken interest in us?"

Riley looked over to Lindsay for support, to which Lindsay nodded, "Plus, tomorrow is a blood moon. Everyone will be out there; witches, vampires, werewolves, muggles. I'm in if you guys are." Lindsay said she squeezed Luke's hand lightly. Luke looked hesitant but then smiled. He looked over to Nick and nodded.

Nicholas gave a loud whoop and clapped his hands. His actions drew the attention of those passing by, "It's settled then." He laughed, "Axeman fest, here we come."

* * *

**So I would like to start off with, I'm a terrible person and I'm unbelievably sorry that this update took so long. I got so busy and sidetracked that I lost touch with the story for a short amount of time. I've had this story planned out since the beginning and all the way out to the end, I figured it's finally time to get in gear and finish what I started. There are still a few chapters to go with the big reveal being either next chapter or the one after it. So things are about to get a bit crazy, more so than usual. There are going to be a lot more little filler povs in the next chapter since it is a party after all, might as well give everyone a chance to enjoy ;) before things go down the drain. **

**Thank you all for your kind reviews and a big thanks to those that have stuck with me for the past year. You guys are amazing and I love your characters. I did start co-authoring a SYOC with LL Lax, which is going great and I promise you I won't be abandoning Capet. **

**It's time for some questions! We have seen a bit of doubt from both Lindsay and Luke, so I have to ask again, are we team Lindsay/Luke or Luke/Faye? Should we get Dante's thoughts on the matter in? I think we should. Lindsay and Ainslee have finally cleared the air, so to speak. Riley is awake, but maybe not all well. Also, putting this out there- I don't live in NOLA and I haven't been there so I don't have a lot a knowledge of the festivals. The Axeman fest comes both from American Horror story, Originals, and the fact Axeman was a real person. **

**If you are still here, please review and let me know your thoughts and what you like best about the story and who you want to spend some time together in the next chapter. With that said, a huge thank you to everyone involved, you are awesome and as always if you have any thoughts, feelings, or concerns feel free to PM me.**


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